Revolution
by rikkustrife
Summary: This is from a roleplay a friend and I have written together. It's placed in the aftermath of Anders destruction of the Chantry in Kirkwall and Leliana comes across him, and they begin their adventure together which in turns brings them closer together. Chapter 5 is the first sexual themed chapter for those uncertain if they want to read that part or not.
1. Chapter 1

The snow falling down was cold, but nearly as cold as the mage's neck was starting to feel. In fact his entire body had been numb since the moment the templars had pushed their captive down to his knees. He was a fugitive, on the run and heading for Tevinter. He had almost crossed through Wildervale, and finally had reached the city Tatervale within the Free Marches.

The mage had never thought he would ever cross into another "March" again due to his history, but fate had a funny sense of humor. So, if this had been fate, was this supposed to have been his true destiny? Tied down, staring at the woman who escaped with him as she was being pushed down against a tree stump.

The Starkhaven's templars were not taking chances with any mage they came across this time. This time, Prince Sebastian was angered and he took every insult Anders had done in the past as a personal threat. Every mage was to pay the price for Anders's declaration of war, and the templars were going to force him to see it before they would cut off his head in the process.

"No, you can't! You don't know what you're doing!" He started to call towards the executioner; to warn him. He tried to struggle against his restraints, but fear literally left his body stiff. He could hear the woman crying and pleading for her life, like so many others he had witnessed before.

The moment the templar raised his axe high into the air, Anders started to stand again. He made a charge towards the man but two other templars had been prepared to hold him back. Down came the axe; the loud thudding sound of the blade striking against the wood, and of course the sickening squishing sound of flesh being cut into. The woman's head rolled off the chopping block and remained planted face down into the snow. Anders's heart sank and he looked away, staring down towards the red stained blood that quickly began to mix into the snow.

"You're up next, mage." The executioner spoke his victim's title as if it were a curse and kicked the woman's body away.

Anders's body had started to glow. He couldn't control the spirit awakening inside of him, and by now he didn't want to control him. He lost a valuable ally, a friend in his struggle, and Justice was not pleased by what he saw.

"Quick! Before he goes berserk again!" The templar to his right shouted and started to drag the mage by his arm.

A white and light blue aura twisted and turned around him as Ander's skin started to crack and break out into cracks of more light. He moved his arm back and snarled, ripping himself away from the templar's grasp. The rope was sanctified with a protective barrier to keep him from using magic; which left Justice to fight more like a barbarian, pushing and biting his opponents in order to get free.

"How dare you! You're the stain on this earth!" His voice echoed in a deeper, multi-toned resonance while managing to kick the templar to his left away. "You'll die for your crimes! You'll all die!"

After the destruction of the Chantry in Kirkwall everything, as well as everyone was in chaos. This obviously brought the remaining chantry sisters together, well what was left. Leliana being one of them. She was thankful to not be in Kirkwall at that time Ander's had done what he did. Though her heart was torn, as many she cared for were either killed or affected by this tragedy. But being as Leliana was, she could hold no grudge, especially with her kind of past. She had questions sure. But to be furious as everyone around her was, well there was no point since what happened there was nothing they prevent. So all they could do was move forward.

As she laid upon her cot her emerald hues fixated upon the lining of her tent. Her arms hovering above her head, as she rested her hands underneath her cranium. She was once again in her chantry robes. How she dreaded these things. But it was must be done, at least for the mean time. Averting her hues, Leliana bent forward looking past her feet and out her tent. The voices of shouting filled her ears. She recognized a few voices. Templar's? She thought to herself. Swinging her legs over, Leliana stood up and made her way out to the commotion outside.

As she had made her way over Leliana had been too late, she walked right into the aftermath of the Mage be-heading. Leliana looked the females head as it rolled, the blood seeping into the ground, and the lifeless body which laid there. Her brows furrowed in anger, a hand placed on her hip as she then pointed to the once woman. "What is this!?" She demanded with not a question in her tone really.

A Templar stepped forward as if to answer her, but as he did so Leliana cut him off guard realizing the male Mage was enraged. With widening hues, Leliana looked to the Templar's in disbelief shaking her cranium. As she began to step towards Anders. A concerned hand was placed on the sisters shoulder as if to stop her. Leliana looked back, a smile of reassuring came to her lips. She obviously didn't have to say a word as the Templar let go and let her go forward and do whatever she was planning.

Leliana stopped maybe mere feet away from Ander's looking into his shining aura of blue hues. Turning around Leliana would jester the Templar's to leave.

"But!" Spoke one Templar.

"Go!" She commanded. "I've fought alongside the wardens do you not think I can handle myself with this?" Some Templar's glared at her words but some otherwise left. The one before spoke some few words before leaving. "Don't let him get the best of you or away. We're not finished with him."

Leliana rolled her eyes, turning her attention to Ander's once more. She looked over his glowed figure before contemplating what to say. "The Templar's are gone now..." She paused looking over her shoulder. "You don't have to worry, all I want is answers. Please don't hurt anyone else."

He stood hunched from his position in the snow. The blood trailed down towards his boots but it was uncertain if it belonged to himself, to the woman he was escaping with, or to one of the templars he had been fighting off. He hadn't really noticed the redheaded woman until acknowledging that she was the only last person standing. Justice was still seeing red for more blood in his eyes, and that reflection remained a light blue and lightening coursing in his hues. However what remained holding him back were the restraints; the ties that kept from using magic; otherwise he would have already coursed fire between his fingers.

"Answers?" He questioned in a rage of a mixed disbelief of what was requested of him and of what seemed to have been expected for him to give. His voice echoed with the fit of rage at everything around him: for not understanding, and for withholding compassion where it should have been given from the start. "The time for answers is over! Justice demands the debt to be paid in full. Blood for blood!"

Justice spoke true to his virtue, but the rage from it was obviously turned sour. While the fine line between of what 'Justice' and 'Vengeance' remained stretched mighty thin, Justice's impatience to take action was far too great to contemplate over it. There was another mage dead and at the hands of Starkhaven templars and for that, he swore to have their heads.

But the man was struggling violently to break free from his binds. The frustration was obviously clear as he trampled around the snow field, tugging from one arm to the other in his attempts to break the sacred rope. In that heat of the moment, he was still the wild and raging animal. It wouldn't have been any surprise to have even find him foaming from the mouth, but the only feature that seemed permanently fixed on his expression was the distraught sneer from his lips.

He turned against one of the trunks of a large pine tree after tripping over the dead woman's ankles. His head hit the wood and from there, an exasperated breath was forced out of him. Calming himself, and taking in steady breaths, the man tried to think. The more logical resolve he seemed to take in the less rage he seemed to have exercised out in return. It was a process that lasted for only a few short minutes but to him it seemed like forever.

Closing his eyes and rubbing his bound hands up and down against the trunk displayed his recent idea of breaking free. The cracks of white and light blue on his skin healed and returned to normal and after the moment of finding that his attempts seemed slightly in vain, the man opened his calm hazel eyes once more. He looked around the area, almost as if it was for the first time. His head then looked over towards the woman who was still standing, and his fractioned attempts to break the ropes slowed down to a stop.

"You… The one from the Divine… I remember you." He started to say as if waking up from a dream, but the dream was more of a nightmare in his saddened tone. Anders looked away, staring back down towards the snow in his moment of self-contemplation. "Who was it that sent you to find me? The Divine? The Starkhaven Prince? Or perhaps… 'she' …had sent for you."

Leliana's eyes fell down looking to the blood splatter, once untainted pure white snow was soaked in blood. This made her cringe, not in fright or disgust but of disappointment. If only she were here sooner. Her emerald hues then shifted up to Ander's locking them onto his glowed ones which were actually memorizing for the most part. Demon or not. Or whatever Ander's were to call it. She stood her ground, not budging an inch as he repeated her words... _Answers_. She nodded her head in response, a few stray strands falling in her vision as she did. "Yes." Was all she spoke.

She watched as he trailed away from her, she slowly and cautiously followed behind the Mage. The chains, they reminded her so much of when her and the Warden's had found Sten caged up. Left to die. Is that really what the world was coming to?

It wasn't until Ander's fall almost brought her closer to his side, but she stopped herself from doing so. Not wanting to risk her life as Justice was out, even if his powers were substantiated. It wasn't until the marking on his skin diminished. Once she thought it was safe enough to step forward that she did, and kneeling beside him. Her hand reached out reassuringly, as she would rest it upon his shoulder. She felt a small urge to free him, but knew if she were too the Templar's would do worse to her than she could probably think.

Standing to her feet once more, she looked down on Ander's nodding her head in a short reply to him. "I am Leliana, Sister of the chantry... And once known companion of the Warden." As she was asked who sent her, all she could do was shake her head in an unknowing way, while turning her back to the Mage. "Probably all of them combined. Everyone wants to get their hands on you after all... But the question is what are you going to do now... Now that your captured?" She asked looking back to Ander's arching a brow curiously, her arms folding over her petite frame.

"Yes… Leliana was the name… or Sister Nightingale, from what I heard." Anders responded towards her introduction briefly and squinted his eyes momentarily shut.

He listened to her for the moment; uncertain as to what her answer had meant. Anders did know, at least, that Leliana was a special individual among only a few known factions to him. He knew already that she was a servant to the Divine (…the White Spire of which he grew to detest…) but only until just recently had he acknowledged of her traveling with the Wardens. Clearly, she was not one to glance over lightly.

Her words struck him, leaving the obvious impression that Leliana certainly was not going to release him no more than she was prepared to take his life.

"I'm going to do what I do best." Anders sighed with a half-jest but his eyes remained towards the ground. "If you're here to kill me, it would be wise to get it over with… I would rather have my life taken by the Chantry itself rather than the templar dogs that it sends after me."

"I guess I gained myself a title." Maybe it would just be easier to end his life now? After all once she was finished with him, the Templar's would obviously have their way. And they both clearly knew how the Templar's worked. Letting out a frustrated sigh through slightly pursed lips. She looked to his bindings, then to a sword, that once was a Templar's... Most likely. Her pace picked up once more as she trailed in the direction of the sword, leaning over, grabbing the hilt. The blood was still warm that stained the sword. She shook the thought from her mind, as she brought herself back to Ander's and his side.

What was she going to do? Really end his life just so he didn't have to suffer or was it for other reasoning for what he did. No... As she rose the sword a few feet from the back of his neck she stopped to ponder for a moment. In that moment it made her believe what was stopping her? It was then that she did what she unexpected even for herself. Cutting away at his restraints. Freeing him from the grip of these Templar's at least if for a moment. Her hues would drop down, as she would also release the sword from her hand. "I guess this is where you leave..." She stated pausing if for a moment. "But first you owe me an explanation of why you did it. I don't want to hear your Justice's form of explanation. I want yours as well."

Anders had hesitated. He didn't have to look towards Leliana to feel her approach him once more. She was most likely guarded, and Anders could sense the heavy lift of the blade. It was a foreign objecting swaying under her controlled motions; slicing through the air. There was a soreness growing even more-so against his back; reminding him of his last request from a former lover. Why he was breathing to this day, he did not truly know.

He felt the ropes around him being sliced away and quickly the mage looked back towards the woman to see if what was happening was true. The moment Anders had felt one of the ropes break away, he jerked his arms apart to snap away the rest from their damnable knots. All he needed was just the one to have been loosened and within a matter of minutes, he was free: standing back to his feet and rubbing his sore wrists. How he hated the 'blessed bindings' the templars carried…

He had started to step to stay away, but Leliana's request had called to him. Turning back towards her, Anders pointed down towards the dead and headless mage a few paces away from them.

"Is this not reason enough?" He asked, in bewilderment and despair. Turning towards the dead, his hand opened up, calling for the spell of 'rock armor' if for anything else other than to cover his deceased comrade over and into a shallow grave.

"No…" He grumbled bitterly. "It never is; not unless you're one of us would you be able to understand. Even then there are those who deny our plight still."

"She's released the mage!" One of the Starkhaven shouted and reached his bow and arrow.

Anders looked up in time to have seen a slew of the ammunition sailing his way. He turned slightly, raising his hand to set the arrows on fire, but he didn't keep his control when doing so—nor had he felt the need to. When the warm ashes splashed against his face, all his flickering eyes could see past that was the cluster of templars lit up in a blazing heap. Their tortured cries of agony went unheeded aside from slight glare Anders had adorned their corpses in return. This was no small victory yet; not even for him. There would have been more soon; there was always more.

"I don't have much time…. And I don't know if you'd even accept my thank you in return, but for now either you come with me or the ones lurking behind will take you down too." Anders started to speak to Leliana before stepping towards the blade that she had dropped. It wasn't a staff, but it was at least something for now. He motioned for her to have followed him if she wanted, but Anders was making a mad dash away from the scene.

Leliana began scratching at the nape of her scalp as her hues traveled down onto his fellow Mage. Before looking up to the dark skies above. She could have expected those words to come out of him. But maybe she was hoping of more of an explanation than that. She watched as the female was put to rest, in her mind she rehearsed a chant. Not wanting to offend Anders more than he had already been this night.

But when the words of one of the men's filled her ears, she couldn't hesitate but to look back at them. "But!" She countered as she hoped to get her words out and heard. "Two wrongs do not make a right, killing him will do nothing. And I know that's exactly what you Templar's were planning to do." Her words harsh but true. The Templar's obviously weren't listening as she saw the arrows plumping towards them. Unarmored she closed her eyes shut so tightly, as it was her only defense. It wasn't until she felt the warmth of the ashes hit against her cheeks that she reopened her hues. Looking back to Anders, she gave a sheepish half smile. Thankful he was there to save them both, at least that was until she heard the Templar's screams not even seconds later. "What are you doing!?" She commanded. "Doing this too them will bring only more ruin."

As she stood there, she knew she would have to leave. If not with Anders than by herself and soon. As she debated what Anders said for a moment longer. She had no choice. "Ugh I can't believe I'm even considering this." She muttered, as she picked up her pace but before leaving the battle field she grasped onto a sword tucking it too her side before leaving her past comrade's behind her, if you would call them of such.

Once Leliana thought they were in the clear, she slowed down her pace. Her stroll beside Anders steady as she kept up with him as best as she could in this horrible dress. Silence was all that passed between them before Leliana finally decided to break it. "Thank you..." Her orbs glued to the soil which slowly shifted away to look from the corner of her eye and then to Anders. "Where too from here?"

"Don't mention it. Really..." He forced a smile towards Leliana's display of gratitude; since he hadn't been around others for a while. It left him feeling socially awkward. "There's a village up ahead… I plan to rest there and regain my footing a little, if I can."

Anders looked back up towards the sky, seeing that the snow was starting to fall again. He motioned with his hand silently to beckon the woman to follow soon after turning in one direction that he knew to have been a sure one. Since he didn't have much else of a choice than to return to Tantervale. It was a death sentence for him, but he couldn't just leave his current savior out in the cold. He could always try crossing the river and reaching The Silent Plains tomorrow.

At least the city was not as cold as the wilds were beyond its limits. The walk was maybe but a few stone-shots away. The templars wanted to have their killing done as silent as possible, which was why they had been hunting more ravenous beyond the city limits rather than inside the very core. Safe or not, Anders was quick to ruffle the black feathers from around his cloak and raise them against his neck and chin. Not much protection—he looked like a blackened chicken preparing to nest; but at least most of his face was covered.

They went to a worn down tavern and inn that rested near the entrance of the city. Anders had paid little stalling in opening the door and keeping it opened moments later for Leliana to enter after him. Once inside, he was able to finally relax—at least for a little bit. The people there knew of him, but they didn't know of his past actions. In fact they knew him by a completely different name…

Then the thought struck him from the moment upon entering and quickly he had to whisper towards Leliana briefly—but he wasn't given the chance.

"What's that being pushed in from the cold?" One of the bar wenches asked, pressing her breasts up and over the counter while she, herself looked as if she would have fallen over. "Is that Lyle, come back again?"

"Lyle!" The barkeep hollered, in hardly as half of a pleasant tone as the drunken woman and pulled her back down beside him. He smoked an extra-large cigar, and plucked it from between his teeth before pointing it at him. "You owe me two sovereigns for the drinks!"

Anders could not have appeared more red at the callings. He waved some to them while wadding between the tables and chairs. The bar section of the building was warm. The hearth was a giant stoned tablet in center of the room, burning hot coals similar to a steam room. The only difference was that this was the center for cooking as well; so cooking racks and meat hooks were lined over it. There was a small group of bards at the far end, but they seemed to have been dressed more like a band of gypsies. Two were playing flutes and one was playing the drums for music.

Once he did get settled though, he finally answered to the man from the section of the bar. "Aw, come on, Pops. I thought I was your favorite guy out here…"

"You were my favorite when you were paying." The barkeep reminded him and sunk his cigar back in between his teeth before turning away to wipe one of the mugs on the counter.

The barwench was quick to slap the barkeep's muscled shoulder and twirled away to walk towards them. "Don't be giving Lyle a hard time! He's family. You keep that in mind… Now… What can I get you?"

"The usual for me and… whatever my friend's wanting—" Anders mentioned briskly to the chipper brunette before quickly leaning back in his chair to speak a little louder towards the barkeep. "I'll pay you back, Pops, I swear!"

The man heard him, but he waved it off and turned away as to show as if he hadn't. His attention was more towards taking the current orders who wanted to pay.

The cold chills radiating down the sister's spine from the winter's night made a quick shiver emit from her body. She as well looked up to the sky, watching as the snow fell down to the Earth's soil. Reaching out with her bare palm she let a few snowflakes land, which immediately melted on contact. Pulling her hand away, she would tuck it under her upper arm as well as the other even if she held her sword close to her side. She watched as Ander's found shelter in his coat, and saw how he looked she couldn't help but chuckle quietly since she didn't want to madden him in the least.

Looking up finally, Leliana saw the sights of a small city. A smile grew on her lips as she picked up her pace and walked through the door he held open for her. Once the duo had stepped foot into the tavern she heard a voice. None familiar to her ears of course, at first she ignored the woman who stepped up calling Anders by a completely different name. Her eyes were on something else at that moment. It wasn't until the woman repeated herself and the man in the background accusing Anders of not paying past debts. That she would actually glance over. But she decided not to embarrass the poor man and actually went along with it. But by her facial expression which held a 'oh really' said different.

Leliana was memorized by the bards in the back. Her eyes almost glued to the group as she followed Anders to a table. Not paying much attention to his and some man's bickering, or friendly bickering at that. How she missed that though, being able to pick up an instrument. Or even dance whenever she pleased. Not much she did in the Chantry. Since that wasn't the way of the sisters. Them being sheltered and all. But maybe, maybe one day again she would be able to. Since it seemed she wasn't going to turn back anytime soon to the Chantry.

A sigh had passed through her lips, and her eyes averting. She looked back to Anders and then the barkeep woman. Whom she looked over in an automatic nature as she was asked what she would have. "Hm me?" She asked before looking around to the other patrons. "I guess I'll have an ale." She said shrugging her shoulders. "Might as well as I sinned already tonight." She added looking to Anders giving him a suspicious look that was also a kidding one at that.

Once it was the two of them... Again. Leliana's emerald hues would stare deep into Anders. Purposely of course, as she planted her elbows to the table and intertwined her fingers within one another while her chin rested on-top of her knuckles..."Now Lyle… Would you like to do some explaining?"

Anders watched as the bar wench had turned away with her given order and looked soon back towards Leliana. Her stare was branding into him, making the mage a little uncomfortable. Though in his retaliation, all he managed to do was shift out from his roosting position from being so far deep into his coat.

"If you insist…" He began and glanced around the room some and finally started to grin. "The 'Usual' is a mixed brandy of honey and cloves. They usually warm it here. Pops says the warmer it is, the quicker you're drunk!"

Reaching up to rub the back of his neck, he then started to glance away, "Aside from that… anything you've probably heard about me, I'll just save you the trouble and confirm most of it might be true—or might as well be. … …Except for the drinking rumors. Those are all lies."

When Leliana saw the look of him being uncomfortable, she did nothing but chuckle lightly. Resting her arms on the table as she rested her back against the chair. She listened as Ander's explained this drink he had ordered. Arching a brow, she let out a sigh shaking her head in a left in right motion. Not exactly what she was asking but she would go along for the ride. "As long as you don't so drunk off your ass that I have to drag you somewhere to rest." She replied in a kidding tone. The least she wanted was to find a place to hide this Mage when he was drunk on-top of when the Templar's were out looking for them.

Looking up and past Ander's she saw the barkeep coming back with their drinks. Placing them on their table, before retreating again. She waited to speak again until it were just the two of them. Her hands wrapping around her mug as she pulled it close to her lips taking a quick slip. "So why the name Lyle... Do you always use different names everywhere you go now?" She asked in a questionable tone while leaning into the table whispering for only their ears to hear. "And are you sure this is a good place to stay... Don't you think our _friends_ will be looking for us soon?" She asked, putting a large emphasis on the word friends, clearly speaking of the Templar's.

"What? You don't think the name suits my handsome features?" He joked still. Though his eyes were still remaining a bit wary around the room.

Anders's eyes had made a side glance towards her when he listened to her speak even softer. While Leliana had mentioned of her warning about the next oncoming hunters, Anders was more wary over the other customers that were already there. In hindsight, it seemed the Nightingale to have had the impression that she was going to be forced to traveling with him from this point onward. It was hardly a situation the mage was prepared for; after all, he had recently lost someone for doing the same thing.

"The ones coming here would not know about what happened earlier." He replied gently, and a bit more serious. "As far as the man you saw in the woods concerns you, he's just a corpse. Now, I will be leaving here and then you are free of me. Is that understood?"

Leliana rolled her eyes at his joke. Even though she knew it was a joke she couldn't help but wave her finger at him. "Now don't be getting those thoughts in this head of mine. Just ask the Warden... I see a pretty flower and I might have to pluck it."

When Ander's spoke of leaving on his own, she couldn't help but feel a bit angered, her expression showed this as her brows furrowed. Was he really going to leave her, after she freed him, after she put her life on the line to save his apostate ass? Shaking her head in a no response and slamming her drink to the wooden table, almost causing the flimsy thing to tumble over. "No..." She demanded with a short pause. "I'm going with you if you like it or not. You got me into this mess, now you're stuck with me... At least for now until we get to a safer place and then I deiced to leave... And don't think about leaving when I'm sleeping. I will find you, and you'll wish I hadn't."


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of Leliana slamming her mug down did startle a few who were around them. Anders remained a bit stiff; if not shocked from seeing how stubborn she was. He brought her here just for that sense of security; not that he really needed to. He shouldn't have had to!

"Are you fraternizing with a Chantry Sister, Lyle?" The barwench called teasingly.

Feeling a little trapped, Anders smiled up at her upon standing and soon reached for Leliana's shoulder; in order to help her stand up to her feet as well. "Ah, if only dreams could weaver as so…"

He hadn't explained much though. The mage just took Leliana with him down the hall of the tavern and soon up the stairs. If this Chantry Sister was going to be insistent on having a private discussion, Anders would have had no choice but to give it. He had little patience and little resolve as it was. Upon opening the door, he knew to have been his acclaimed room when he stayed at the tavern, he guided Leliana into the room, turned around and locked the door. Afterwards, he marched towards the window and checked to make certain that his escape route was still clear. When all of this had been checked, Anders finally could relax and give her the 'audience' that Leliana seemed to request.

"…Are you crazy?" He asked her when looking back to where he had left her standing. He then thought for a moment and started to correct himself briefly. "It is alright here; we can speak plainly in this room, for the most part."

Turning some to lean back against the wall near the window, Anders studied her and rubbed the five o'clock shadow along his chin. He could escape her if he really wanted to. He could have her frozen in place, in this room, and then vanish. There'd be no way she could track him down after a certain amount of time had passed, and Anders was confident in that thought—even if she was a person of a stronger significance than to what she made herself appear to be.

"I back-tracked my steps on purpose so that you could separate yourself from me without any problem." He finally explained while the thoughts still rummaged through his head. "…What do you want from me?"

Leliana looked around herself, the other patrons looking at her, and her actions. Slumping her head she closed her eyes for a second only to pop them open when she heard the barkeeps words. She raised her hands shaking them left to right frantically like a child. But as she was doing so felt Anders grasp on her shoulder. She could have retaliated against him, which sounded like a good plan but considering what they had just went through and were trying to avoid she went along with is lead.

As they entered the room, Leliana watched as he locked the door. Thinking the worse, she averted her eyes and took a large gulp of her ale as she made her way to some kind of chair that was in that room and sat down while she listened to Ander's... Er... Fit.

"I think you're the crazy one." She started, mumbling through her cup. Hoping he really didn't hear that comment. But she said it so there was no taking it back. "You are a Mage after all, so you must be crazy." She joked, sliding her cup away from her grasp and onto a nearby table. When he said he back tracked for her, a curious look would plaster over her features... Now she was confused... Why would he do that? She shook her head as she stood up and made her way over to Ander's, standing in front of him. Her arm extended out, her index finger erect as she poked him on the chest. "I want to go because..." She paused. "Because I'm tired of being left. You have to admit it might be fun. Plus you could use my help, and you know it."

Anders's eyes had briefly narrowed at her explanation. Of course, reaching up to fold his arms, the mage tilted his head and was quick to snipe back. "If you were to swear off your alliance to the Chantry, I suppose so. The real question is, why would I want your aid, Miss Nightingale, Messenger of the very Divine to the White Spire?"

Then the mage's eyes flashed some as he tilted his chin up and continued. "That's right, Hawke, told me about your little meeting. Besides, you should have nothing but hate for me… Or has the Chantry in Kirkwall been something even Justina VI could overlook?"

Leliana twiddled her fingers for a moment drawing back from Ander's she thought on what he said. Would she swear off an alliance with the chantry? Yes, maybe in the meantime. She had left before to help many years ago with the warden so how did this make it different. Okay, sure he killed hundreds of people, but still she was going to find a way to make this better. Even if it meant befriending Ander's. Who she knew wasn't as bad as others made him seem. Or so she tried to tell herself.

"Don't you think, if I go with you I can't help? Maybe if we go together I can make others understand. Make it so people won't hunt you... Or at least as badly." Scratching her head she thought of the name spoken Hawke... Hawke... Hawke... She repeated in her mind. "Ah yes, the champion... I met with her once, yes. As for overlooking your deeds. That will take time, and healing. Lots of it. This is why you need me. To help heal those wounds. Even Mages like yourself can't fix every wound."

Was she actually contemplating the idea of swearing off her servitude and beliefs? It was truly puzzling to him, if even for a brief instant. Then his thoughts recollected some after listening to Leliana's bargaining. There was no way Anders was going to allow himself to go down the same road with another person again. He closed his eyes; seeming as if he had practically given up when it was far from the truth.

"You can't be serious… There is not enough time in the world to heal my sin." He started to say and then stepped from her to walk towards the chair to sit down. "There is no one in Ferelden who can even justify my cause. I only regret of what innocent lives that have been taken within the wake of it."

He paused some, staring down at the floor, wondering why he had even explained that much to her. Perhaps, Anders had just been so tired from running or finally coming to moment of peace to mourn over the loss of his previous friend. That should have been enough reason for Anders to have insisted on Leliana not to follow him, but he wouldn't argue over the issue much further. It wouldn't get him anywhere.

Leliana followed Anders as he made his way to a chair stopping just a few feet away. She could see the confusion on him. She wasn't making much sense to herself either. But she knew if she went back now to either the sisters they'd hand her over to the Templar's and if she went to the Templar's she would be worst than the Dark Spawn.

"Well I'm serious." She started. "There maybe one person that can help us. Clear both our names… Maybe…" She hated to go to him, for just clearing their names. What if she were wrong and he handed them over… Shifting her body weight, she began to turn away from Ander's as she didn't really want to face him if he didn't seem to fond of this idea either."Alistair can possibly help us."

Leliana knew he felt bad deep down inside for killing those innocents as he said, this was one reason she was so determined to help him. She wasn't going to give up lightly either. She just needed to show him this… Somehow. Turning around once more, she began to kneel to the ground as she tried to look into his eyes as they gazed to the ground. "You need to let someone help you. Let me be that person?" She pleaded, instead of asking or demanding this time she was being thoughtful with her actions, her hand reached up and rested on his as she waited for his reply.

He remained silent for the moment. Anders wasn't certain how Alistair could help his situation though. The last time he had seen the man, he received quite a verbal slap from Meredith a few years back. The man practically turned one sarcastic cheek to it, since problems with the Empress Selene did need to come first in Ferelden's matters. It was nothing Anders held against the man either; mainly because he didn't really even know the man all that well. He knew he was a Grey Warden, and that was about it.

"I'm not sure if getting help from even a fellow Grey Warden would do much. For you, absolutely…but not me." He looked at her hand some before lifting his head back up towards her. "If you want to really help me, then stay by my side and trust in what I am going to do… In the near future, that is… Don't ask me of what it is or where we will be going. You'll know of the place when we are there."

But Alistair was king his word meant more than... Well almost anyones. Keyword, anyones. Letting out a sigh, she would roll her eyes knowing he was right... Again. What was it with men being right practically all the time? Still there had to be something she could do. She hated fighting and war, if there was a way to avoid it she would find it. Eventually. "Don't worry Ander's I will keep you safe until we find a way to get you out of this mess." She said, a smile forming on her lips. "After all Alistair is so far away, I bet we'll get caught if we try and see him."

When their eyes met a curious nature came over her, as her head shifted to the right. Now he was going to take her? The ball of worryness that she held inside dissipated as it was filled with joy, and excitement. She couldn't help herself any longer and lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug that was most unexpectedly expected "So I can go with you?" She asked reassuring just in case of her ears were playing tricks on her. "But don't worry I'll try not to ask too many questions, I am a woman after all, and we ask questions without knowing at times." She added with a nod of her head, with a smile that was shinning from ear to ear.

Anders wanted to believe in Leliana's words. To him, they would have been the words of hope, but nothing in his actions later would have given the impression of such, and he knew it. The mage's thoughts were startled a bit from the abrupt hug which had caused Anders to blush a little. Physical Contact. It had been something Anders had done his best to avoid for a long time now. Recovering from it felt almost like stepping out of a steaming hotspring with the vapors remaining fresh to his face. A small smile was forced from him and reached up to return what small of a gesture that he could before easing happy Leliana back down a notch. His hands smoothed over the shoulders of her Chantry robes and he gave her arms a light comforting pat before easing back into his position once more.

"I'll keep that mind." He affirmed while taking his eyes from her visual affiliation to the White Spire. "…The first thing that we should do, is grab a few pieces of Tess's clothing for you. Perhaps even some armor; I'm assuming that you fight-only by your titles… But right now, sleep should be the most important thing."

Anders nodded some and looked towards the mattress. "Why don't you take the bed? I can keep watch for now… And don't worry. I'm not going anywhere from here without you, I will swear to it."

Once Leliana had noticed what she had done. Hugging him that was, she shifted back. Her palms pressing lightly against his chest as she pulled away. Looking to his features she saw the red tint overcoming him, a smile began to form upon her lips as she shifted her head to the side stepping back some more while her hands rested behind her. She stayed silent, figuring he already knew of blush and she didn't want to intensify it by any means. When Ander's spoke of her resting, and him staying up to keep an eye out. This brought the idea she thought may have been the best bet, for now. If not now, then she could stay up later while he rested. She nodded in reply, looking to him once more as she swiftly made it to the empty bed. Once she pulled the covers back she reached up, almost as if to de-robe herself. But hesitated, her hands dropping to her sides once more, as she decided not to. She didn't want to frighten the Mage or have his head explode from even more blushing. Finally she rushed to lay down, covering herself practically to her chin and in looking up, she smiled once more before telling her good-nights. "I'll see you in the morning."

As the morning rays shinned through the windows panes and the birds began to sing their daily morning chant. A flutter of the red-headed eyes opened reveling her hazel hues, looking from left to right and then again. She lunged forward, hoping to see Anders still in his chair she last saw him. But to her surprise it was empty. Leliana jumped from her bed, and hurried out the door as she began to rush down hall and to the tavern's main area. She stopped as she met one of the barkeeps, her body leaning into the table as she asked curiously her eyes didn't make real contact with the other as she did so, as her mind was else where. "Have you seen Lyle?" The barkeep shook their head in no response to Leliana. Of course this angered the female, her hands clenching into small balls, as her head began to shake in disbelief. "Figures..." She paused. "Do you have any wares?" She added, figuring she might as well take Ander's advice and get the right armor before she left. With or without him.

"Sure do." She replied pointing to a chest of items for sale, ranging from armor, to weapons and anything else that would be needed for battle. Once Leliana had found armor to her liking, she once again made her way up to the room. As she walked into the room, the sole of her foot pushed against the door as to close it. Immediately undressing from her Chantry clothing, Leliana would toss her old and no longer needed garments aside, as she began replacing it with more dependable amour, along with her new bought weapons and supplies.

Anders had been soaking in the public bath. The towel was wrapped around his waist, and resting on a white large pummel stone was the rest of his belongings. The water was warm and the steam was heavy and thick around him. There were other people walking back and forth, but Anders found that it was easier to hide almost in plain sight; such as was the main reason to why he chose a small village and a change of his identity.

His head was tilted back and his eyes closed, seeming content at the moment, but his thoughts were anything of the sort. He couldn't believe of what he was thinking of doing; what he was accepting himself of doing. It wasn't just about taking Sister Nightingale along with him either; although that did play a huge part of his inner turmoil. Anders decided that maybe—hopefully—if he had stayed away from the hotel long enough, Leliana would have left without him. That would have been the better option than taking her along.

He had spent a decent amount of time in the tub; long enough to get clean but quick enough to avoid any voyeurs and suspicious people. Slipping his clothes back on, Anders reminded himself that he was going to have wash them at some point, but the cold weather here just made the attempts impossible without something just as properly warm to wear in return.

The mage left the bathhouse and shuddered from the cold; dragging along with him the large metal sword still. He didn't have a templar's sheath, and wasn't really preparing to arm himself with something any bloody templar would use unless it was a life or death situation anyway. Anders would be better off trading it in for coin. With that thought in mind, he headed back to the tavern to speak with Tess, the barwench.

The room had seemed empty upon coming in; of course since it was still in the early hours. Pops turned from behind his counter, and pointed an empty mug at him before drying it. "You missed your Lay Sister, Lyle."

"Did I, now?" Anders smiled, with a sign of relief and quickly pulled his sword back up to him in order to look at. "Oh well, no matter… I need to see if I can trade this in for some coins."

Pops scoffed some and reached for the handle, lifting it up some into the air, but only to test how level and heavy that it was. "I ought to just take this as payment for the drinks and rooms you owe me."

"Come on, now. You know I'll pay you back on those soon enough." Anders laughed and waved his hand some; wishing that Tess was around at the moment to sweet talk Pops for him. Anders was only good about that when it came to women.

Pops clicked his tongue some and flipped the sword over. "It's got a little silver in the handle, but the blade's pretty much steel…. And common. Did you swipe this off a guard or something?"

"N-No, of course not! A hunter found it in the woods and traded it for some squirrels I caught yesterday." Now, Anders had started to sweat a little; hoping that he didn't really look at the Templar Emblem of the handle yet. He sighed some and looked back towards the door. Certainly after this, he was going to leave. "…Look, take it as payment if you want, but can't get at least a little compensation or something smaller for myself?"

"For hunting, of course?" Pops started to ask while taking the blade and hiding it under his counter. When he returned back up, in his hand to give to the mage was a large steel curved dagger with a wooden handle.

"Yes, of course." Anders reassured him with a sigh and beamed instantly upon seeing what he had in trade. He accepted it quickly and tucked it near his belt of his feathered cloak. "Thanks, Pops. I owe you one."

"You always do." Pops huffed and turned back to drying his dishes.

Leliana sat in the room for a moment longer; she made herself comfy among the vanity in the room. Moving her head left to right, she looked at her reflection, as she then reached up tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Dropping her hands to the table, she would use as she planted them firmly to push herself up. She had no idea where to go from here. Maybe she would just brush up on her fighting skills, and help someone else since Anders obviously up and left her. As she trailed off to the end of the bed, she grasped onto a wooden bow, clasping it to her back before making her way out the door of the room and into the short corridor.

As she walked her eyes were almost glued to the floorboard, as she made her way through the people. In the bar side of the tavern she heard a voice that she recognized made her gaze up, ahead of her she saw Anders right away a slight rattled expression could be seen on her face. Reaching up, she raised her hands rubbing her eyes making sure her eyes weren't fooling her. After a moment passed and he was still there, a smile replaced the confusion on her face. Her stroll picked up until she stood behind Anders. She stayed silent for a moment, then as slyly as she could, she reached out tapping his shoulder. "I see you didn't leave me after all." She started a pause in her sentence as she brought her arm back to her side propping her hand to her hip as her hip shifted to one side. "I also see you don't smell nor look like a stray dog... You needed that bath." She teased lightly. "

"Ah-ah!" Anders beamed and held a finger quickly up into the air, and blindly held his other hand out towards Pops for the dagger's expectant sheath. "We've talked about this. It's surprise! You like surprises, don't you?"

"I knew it! You doing that role-playing thing again, weren't ya?" Pops quickly jabbed in and picked up his rag to wipe the counter down.

The sudden beamed expression Anders once had was quickly replaced now with a look of utter bewilderment and fear. "What? No! When have I ever given off that impressi—"

Pops turned his attention towards Leliana and started to take his bantering more directly to her. "If you think he looks good now, you should see how well he can clean up with a few Orlesian silks, a sharp razor and a comb."

"You're trying to make me freeze, aren't you?" Anders pouted back at Pops once the barkeeper finally handed him the sheath he was requesting. The mage idly started to tuck it into his pocket, while continuing his peppy chatter. "Maker. It's too bloody cold for any of that frilly stuff… and I don't want to turn into a Lyle-icicle."

"Mm! Lyle-icicle." Tess cooed, only hearing the after-math of Anders's discussion, when she came within ear-shot of the counter. "Now, that sounds yummy!"

She snaked her arm towards Anders, only to cause the mage to quickly squirm away from a possible grasp.

"Too early in the morning, Tess." Pops warned and bent over underneath the cabinet to pull up a large iron tea kettle. "He hasn't had his hang-over coffee."

"He only had one drink last night." Tess shrugged, more in surprise than anything else, and turned towards the counter to fill her current given orders. "Light-weight. I'm not even sure if he drank it all…"

"Yes, well… Thank you both for embarrassing me in front of my friend. Chances are, she'll be running for the hills the minute she walks out the door." Anders teased back at them both before turning away and motioning with his right hand for Leliana to follow him out.

"Oh you should of saw him last night." She added to Tess' words as she walked in further. Hearing her words of thinking he had only one drink and being a light weight. "Bundles of fun he and I had. If only it lasted a bit longer." She spoke, her eyes looking to Ander's giving him a wink. Obviously she was trying to mess with him a bit. But she wasn't sure how Ander's would take it. This never stopped her before though... Clearly.

Leliana's hues shot looking back and fourth between Ander's and the old man. Following by a chuckle at his words of roleplaying. "Clearly there has to be much more than a few words to scare me away." She replied. Looking over, Leliana watched as Ander's stood beginning to leave. And here she was just getting comfy too. "Leaving already?" She asked shrugging her shoulders, and she began to stand to her feet again. Making her way slowly behind Ander's trail following him out the doorway. She halted in her pace at the doorway, looking back at the barkeep and Tess. Raising a hand in a short wave of farewell before walking out, and stepping foot in the open.

Once it was just the two of them again, and the door was closed behind the duo. A questionable look had smeared across her features as she began to cross her arms over her petite body. "I thought you left me." She spoke finally, breaking her silence. Her eyes averted away from Anders and too the city. She had no idea where to go from here. I guess they were pretty much on the run until either the Templar's gave up or they found a safe place for them both. "Well we should be off then?" She stated while raising her arms up, shrugging her shoulders, and shaking her head as she began to walk towards the exit of the city.

"To leave you, dear lady? Perish the thought. You're a ray of sunshine." Anders had beamed after hearing her statement. Although, his response was unclear if he truly had meant it or if he was only bantering back in return, he left the remark as it was for the time being.

His thoughts were still idly elsewhere; planning on retracing his steps towards the Minanter River. It was a grueling reminder to him that Starkhaven was bordering territory only east from where they were; which meant the woods would have been littered with Sebastian's precious guards. If he didn't have the guards out for them, it would have sooner been the Templars. Either way, Anders was screwed and his only hope would have been to keep heading north.

The area was quiet as the snow started to lightly fall again. Such solace was disrupted when the sound of a twig snapping was heard underfoot. Anders's smile had started to fade as he quickly turned around to see who it was following them. It was only a few split seconds later had he been able to hear the sounds of metal armor clinking together from the darkness. Templars, of course; the ones who had been tracking him down after the first platoon's demise…

"We have to move across the river. Quickly." He started to say, taking the Leliana's hand and moving forward fast.

The sprint was long, but Anders had been determined to pull Leliana and himself across this time. At least until they actually did reach the river. The water wasn't how he had pictured it. It was more ice than water, and the ice was thin. It was already cracking from the first two steps Anders had taken to get across previously. If only he had time to plan a safer way to cross, but he didn't. His only current goal at the time was getting across as safely as he and Leliana could. The two had to balance to keep from sliding on the surface, but sound of the ice cracking was closely behind them.

"Stop, apostate!" One of the templars shouted and started to chase after them, but the weight on the ice was too heavy, from where he stepped. It cracked underneath the templar, and down into the water he fell.

"Bloody Abomination!" The second templar started to curse and freed an arrow from his bow.

Anders hadn't looked back, but he did start to rush Leliana closer towards him. By doing so, his arm lifted at just the right angle to dodge a loose arrow. He spun slightly out of control from being startled, and in doing so slipped completely downward. The mage lost his balance and his left kneecap struck the ice even harder, causing the ice to crack nearly completely through from underneath himself and Leliana.

Walking through the snowy fields made Leliana to gaze up as small flakes fell on her face, she closed her eyes ignoring where the two were completely going. Stepping to her tippy toes, she gave a random twirl of her body, while her arms were extended out. What she wasn't expecting was Anders to grab her hand and pull her along. Causing her to let out a gasp of air. "H-Hey! A little warning next time?" She whined, as her gloved hand grasped around his as she tried to keep up with him as best she could.

"Where are we-" She started to ask, but was quickly cut off by an unknown voice behind them. Causing Leliana to glance over her shoulder seeing the men in amour chase after them. "Great." She muttered, picking up her pace no long dilly dallying around.

When they met the river, Leliana halted as fear consumed her body. He was crazy if he were to think if she, Leliana was going to cross such a path. Was he trying to kill them? But she didn't have the time to argue as Anders still had his grip upon her.

Once stepping on the semi-frozen ice, she felt her feet slide from under her. And she began to see herself drift away from Anders in a backwards motion. She began swaying her body as if to stop herself. The sound of the Templar falling through the ice made her jump back, and then the second man's voice caused her to look up. Before she could react he had already shot his arrow straight towards them. "Cra-" She whispered followed by a slight grunt as that same arrow grazed across her cheek. She reached up placing her bare fingers, and pulling her hand back to see blood. She paid little much attention to Anders nor the ice cracking from under them. As she swiftly pulled out a arrow along with her bow, shooting it back to the Templar in the distance. Making a perfect hit to his chest. Causing him to fall to the ground.

Reaching down, Leliana held out her hand towards Anders to grab this time. Out in the distance she heard others coming for them. There wasn't much time. "Hurry unless you want them to catch you." She spoke, shifting her feet away from the cracked area of the ice. Knowing this river wouldn't hold their weight long. It was either the river or the enemy that were going to take them if they didn't hurry.

Anders was in a mid-panic from when he had hit the water. He looked back up towards Leliana's voice and took her hand. Of course this had started in a race of getting back to the surface as well. He rolled along the ice once he was pulled up, aiming farther away from the quickly arising cracks and Leliana. Though while he was getting up, the templar who had firstly hit the river had climbed back up. The soldier had his bow and arrow ready and had set loose, pinning Leliana against her left breast.

"No!" The mage shouted as his skin started to flicker and crack briefly.

He shouted, from the corner of his eyes, seeing Leliana falling backwards. His hands opened up, aiming towards the man and a wave of elemental ice started to shoot from the palms. The cold temperature solidified the ice, making their current stance a bit thicker, but his magic hadn't ended from just there. The frost and ice quickly had spread up to the soldiers, the one fallen and the last one to have shot his arrow, covering them both. He was freezing them solid until his anger had started to calm down a bit.

With little time, Anders started to carefully crawl back towards Leliana. He started to stand up and lifted her into his arms. He turned quickly and made a quick dash across the river, where he stopped, only to turn momentarily and use his fire ability to melt the ice of the large river. Standing across the back, and still glowing with his spending energy, Anders looked around the area and tried to think of what would have been the best option next.

"Hold on!" His voice whispered, but it was multi-toned and clearly more openly aware by another consciousness.

"We got'em on the run now, men! Don't let him get away!" The templars from the woods started to chant to one another as they were closing inward. More arrows started to fly, and in response, the mage growled, lifting his hand from underneath Leliana to roast the next onslaught of ammunition.

A cave remained nearby, leaving a carved out opening. It was hollow and dark; something of the unknown. It was the only thing Anders could think of on the spur of the moment to use. So he turned towards it and guided Leliana with him. He turned around once they reached the entrance of the cave. He had to place Leliana down just in order to raise up his arms high enough and concentrate on the ground underneath him. The end result sealed the Lay Sister and himself within the cave.

From there, Anders was finally able to take a moment to catch his breath. His body continued to glow, reflecting light from his skin and bringing the sight Leliana more into his sight. He started to slide down towards Leliana in concern.

"Leliana? Leliana, can you hear me?" He started to ask and the light started to dim away; almost as if the other spirit had resumed its docile position and Anders remained back in control. He needed to keep her awake but he needed to keep her calm too. "I need you to stay with me."

The last thing she heard in that moment of stillness was Ander's voice shouting. Then everything had went blank. If for a moment, but as she looked down to her chest. Everything began to go almost in slow motion as her body collided within the soildness of the ice ground. She saw she was hit, and bad. Almost like a skewered piece of meat. She knew if she were to move the wrong way the slightst she was probably going to hurt something even more so than what the damage was done at this moment. Her bow fell from her grasp. She tried desperately to reach up and touch to her wounded area but the reaction of Ander's hesitated her. "Anders?" She spoke softly her hues overlooked his features seeing the once glowed figure she saw just the other day.

When she was then cradled in his arms, she began to immediately feel the pain radiating through her. She flinched her eyes shut, trying desperately to ignore the pain but also ignore as the Templars screams and bellows of pain as well, from Ander's on slaughter. In a way she wanted him to stop, but in a whole other she wanted those asses to get what they deserved.

Once they entered the cave, and Leliana had found a suitable resting area. Proping her back to a rock. She would look to the entrance, then Ander's and then lastly to her chest. She began reaching up, but stopped automatically as she felt herself begin to gasp for air. She looked to Anders who had begun to make his way over. She gave him a reassuring smile, shaking her head as she summoned up the strength to say. "You're not going to lose me so easily... I'm fine." She teased, her hand reaching out to his, as she patted over it with her bloodied glove of her own. "Don't worry I've been through worse. I'm just glad they didn't get you. Or better yet both of us." She admitted, her facial expression holding out to a smile which cracked showing her true pain which she failed to hide from him.

Taking a moment she reached over and into her pouch along her belt-line, pulling out a vile of some herb. In a shaken hand that she tried to steady for him, she would hand him this. "Here. I'm sure you've seen this before it's an herb. It will hopefully stop the pain for the meantime at least." She paused looking away. "Open it for me?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Yes… Of course." He sighed some, taking the bottle quick in his hands. He was glad to hear her conscious and still speaking to him. Not that his treatment would have been any slower or panicked otherwise, but at that moment, he needed to hear her voice. Anders had already lost one person; he wasn't prepared to lose another just as fast.

The mage opened the bottle and then concentrated on a small flame into his right hand, holding it up for light at the moment. He was at least able to see Leliana's eyes; reassuring her sight that he was still there. However, at the moment, he was looking more towards the arrow wound in her chest. The injury required his attention, and the more that it was there—staring back at him—the more worried he was upon seeing it.

"It doesn't look deep, but it might be poisoned." He hesitated, and glancing towards the fastenings of her leather armor. "I'm going to get this out of you and suck out any poison as quickly as I can before putting this directly on it. My magic can heal faster without having to worry about poisons in the body. I am sorry for this, but you'll have to bear with me on it."

Anders reached for the arrow but paused at the moment, looking back towards her. "Hold your breath, and on the count of three, grit your teeth… One. …Two… Three."

The mage quickly jerked the arrow up with all of his might, pulling the arrow almost clean through, if it hadn't been for a few pieces of flesh being torn. He tossed the arrow over his shoulder and quickly unbuckled the leather fastenings of Leliana's chest-plate. Her breasts were revealed to him; which was hardly anything he had even time to really hesitate over. The wound. He was worried about the wound!

By then, his fire in his hands had closed, and Anders hovered slightly over the injury with Leliana in his arms. He placed his lips over the bleeding tender flesh and started to draw out blood from his mouth. On the occasion, he had to turn away and spit what he drew in, back out to the ground next to him. In his quick actions, Anders hardly even realized the approaching flame behind him.

"What are you doing?" Oghren's voice asked from the flame behind them.

Anders exchanged his actions in between drawing in blood and spitting it to the side. "I have to get the poison out."

"Hey, uh… Buddy?" Oghren's voice called again.

"Not now, Oghren!" Anders said frustratingly and then continued.

"Buddy, this arrow's not a poisoned one." Oghren's voice stated quickly.

The mage froze with his mouth still over the injury of Leliana's wound. It was only then had that voice and memory recollected for him to realize that it was in fact Oghren behind them; and from the guessing shadows on the other walls of the cave, he was the one to carry a torch currently. He lifted his head up slightly, but his eyes remained still staring back at Leliana's breasts—as if he was still a bit stunned.

"…Are you sure?" He finally asked the dwarf.

Oghren started to walk closer towards them and lifted his lantern up for light. "Hey, man. If it's one I know, it's axes and arrows… But if you're gonna—"

He paused a moment, realizing that the situation might have been something completely different, and the dwarven's mischievous mind had already began its own fabrication of what was currently going on. He started to grin and chuckle some, looking back towards the blonde male once more.

"Oh, I get it—eh-heh. Trying the ol' poisoned arrow, huh?" The dwarf spoke almost as if all-knowing.

"Dear Maker…" Anders exasperated and moved quickly to apply the painkillers that Leliana had handed him.

He knew she desperately needed them by then, and would have probably been even more impatient for him to heal her wound than before. This in turn shifted his left hand to glow and quickly formed a healing spell over the injury.

Her eyes widened at the mentioning of the word poison. "Wha-What..." She exclaimed, part of her strength coming back to her if for a moment to wave her hands "No it can't be, not that." She knew if it were true than she would easily die. Completely forgetting about being able to suck poison out from a wound. So when Ander's mentioned it she of course went along with the idea. Knowing her luck the arrow probably was poisoned. She watched as his hands traveled up to her armor latches. She went to stop him, at first. But stopped herself. Usually she wasn't as... Shy? It's like he wasn't the first to ever see her body. It was just going to be awkward after all.

She closed her eyes, her jaws began to clench down and her hand held onto anything she could reach, possibly his upper arms since he would be in so close proximity. As an aspirated groan passed through her now loose lips as her whole facial expression loosened once he pulled out the arrow.

At first when the Mage began sucking upon her wound, she wanted to smack him over the head. She wasn't sure if that hurt worse than the initial wound or not. "Do you have to be so rough!?" She asked, her hands pressed against his chest as her fingertips dug deep into his feathered cloke. Peeking through one eye she began to see a figure begin to walk up to the duo. She tried to tap Ander's on the shoulder to grab his attention. As she was thinking the worse. What if it was another Templar? One that was in the cave before them. But as the figure got closer, and the more she began to open her eyes she saw an old comrade.

"Oghren?" She asked. But obviously he didn't hear her as the males began to speak to one another. And then when Oghren so happened to mention the arrow NOT being poisoned, a blink of her eyes and a confused look came over her. She looked to Anders his lips still pressed to her breast. Then she looked to Oghren who had this smug look on his face. All she could imagine what he was thinking as she told herself. _Greatttt_. _Hes never gonna let this one go_. In a sudden reaction once Ander's had placed his hands back on Lelianas chest, she reached out swinging her arm while her other concealed her other breasts. The palm of her hand made a solid hard contact with the cheek on Ander's, as she shook her head in disbelief. "You jerk!" She muttered. "You did that on purpose... Who knows what you would have done if Oghren hadn't shown up!"

Anders's face was tilted away from the smack, and still he carried the look of shock. He did so, probably because all of this had happened a little too fast-paced for him. "…Ow."

"Eh, I don't blame you, Anders. I'd try to get a piece nearly anywhere I could these days too." Oghren sighed and started to turn his attention towards Leliana.

"Oh, for Maker's sake… Hold still." The mage shook his head some, as if coming back to Thedas, and reached for the bard's wrist to hold her arm still in order for him to finish his spell. Once he was done, he then reached for her armor and lightly folded the cloth back over her breasts for the time being. "There."

"So, Leliana. Looking good. Looking real good." The dwarf laughed some and started to fold his arms. "Are you still single?"

"That's not what you ask an injured woman." Anders said; however his tone gradually turned sweeter and yet still a bit sarcastic. Once he stood up he held his hand out towards Leliana to grasp, but he wasn't certain if she'd really take it or not. "But in an answer to your late question, we're both just fine now—and kind of still running from templars. So, if you don't mind, could we still get a move on, please? That'd be great."

"Sure, sure." Oghren boasted but he was still watching Leliana in concern for the moment. "But are you able to walk?"

Leliana looked to her grasped wrist, slightly pulling away. But this didn't break the Mages grip obviously; she just wanted to hit him one more time for good luck is all. Shifting her hues back to her chest, she began watching the magic of the Mage. Feeling the pain from before disappear and the wound that was once was, was no longer there. A smile came over her as she pulled her belonging closer to her, and began to pull on her clothing.

"Didn't you make a comment once what the Chantry sisters wore under their robes once Oghren? Looks like you got curiosity pleased. Though I wouldn't call myself a sister anymore." She replied "But yes I am single. Believe it or not Dwarf... It gets very lonely, whats a girl to do...?" She said in a kidding tone while shrugging her shoulders. Hoping he wouldn't have some odd comment to that. But he always did... Didn't he?

Leliana shook her head at Anders words of defending her in some way against Oghren. "Don't worry I'm use to it. I had a tent next to this bugger when we were off with the Warden. The worst person to be sleeping next to." She paused as she looked to Anders hand, and actually after all that fun-ness she grasped it, standing to her feet again. Leaning into Anders to finish her sentence in a whisper. "He snores..." She said with a pause. "But come on Anders here we were just having so much... Fun and you have to always ruin our moments with wanting to run off." She replied towards his comment with not wanting to stay in this area too long. "Don't worry Oghren... I'm fine... Where did you come from anyways?"

"Oh, well that was more than I hoped for, eh-heh. You know you can always give ol' Oghren a holler when you need it." Oghren started laugh some in response to Leliana's responses to—and about him. More proudly, he even started to boast once more. "The ladies don't call me 'Aaawh—gren for nothing."

"That was stale back then and it is now." Anders teased him, but he didn't stay long to dance in between. For all he really knew, there would have been more templars coming to the cave soon. Though the moment, he had smiled a bit wider towards listening to Leliana more. Above anything else at the time, he was just glad that she was healed and feeling better.

"Yes, well, it's not brave of me, I know… Being as I don't want my head chopped off or to have my body tied to a tree to be pecked at, at some point, I'd just like to keep moving all the same." The mage piped up chipper still, though it was a bit of a snarky comment.

"You topsiders and your weird traditions…" Oghren made a wince at the thought when he looked at Anders briefly. He turned to take the lead for the moment, but he was continuing to talk. "Well, as you all know, I came from the stone, of course! I'd uh-"

The dwarf paused some from his entrance and then looked back up towards Anders and Leliana. "Oh. Wait. Hey, Leliana. Did you know I made the cut? I'm a bone-a-fide Grey Warden, now."

Leliana jolted back in a confused manner at Oghrens name he said the ladies had called him. She didn't need to know such a thing, and she thought not many women would come close to Oghren really. With him smelling like a brewy almost all the time. "Really... Do you have any names that surpass Oghrens here Anders?" She asked her eyes narrowing to Anders in a suspicious manner.

"But it would be so much fun watching them peck at you Ander's" She nudged, giving him a smile. "I mean after all you let those arrows impale me, so I need a good laugh here and there once in a while." She ended with a wink of her eye. "But thank you Ander's if you weren't here I would of been a goner for sure."

Before she could begin to start to even take one step towards the way Oghren had come from, she was stopped by him speaking of becoming a Grey Warden. Of all things her little dwarf was a Warden. "Wow... Really?" She asked turning to him. "Looks like the order is picking up finally?"

The mage had held his tongue for the most part. He was still a little bewildered that Oghren and Leliana knew each other. Then again it shouldn't have been that much of a surprise; not after Leliana mentioned that she knew the Warden; from what he could now assume as the Hero of Ferelden. Thedas just seemed to have gotten a little smaller to him right at that moment.

"Yep." Oghren beamed, happily still boasting on. "The Grey Wardens there just took one look at me and said, 'you'd make a fine addition to the team!' Heh-heh. Ol' Anders, here, is one too—"

"Ex-nay on Warden-ehy…!" Anders winced when the dwarf thumbed his attention over towards him.

"What? Are you hiding from them or something?" He asked him curiously then.

"Sort of." Anders said and finally started to give in to the stroll to where Oghren was taking them. The further they got away from the sealed off entrances and past the dwarven secret entrance, the better he was starting to feel. It wasn't his greatest moments of ease, but it was at least better.

"To tell you the truth, we all thought you were dead. We saw the body and everything at Amaranthine." Oghren added soon afterwards.

Anders's smile couldn't have gotten brighter upon hearing that. "Perfect… If anymore templars, or Grey Wardens happen to cross your path, tell them exactly that."

Leliana listened to the men speak to one another, as she walked slowly behind them. Amazed by what she heard about Anders from the Templar's to the sisters as they so happened to leave out the little detail, that Ander's was a Warden. She picked up her pace in a short run until she was by his side looking up at him. "A Warden huh? Why did you never let me know. And why are you running from the Wardens what I got from them was that they were pretty badass." She then looked over to Oghren for reassurance.

"Did the body actually look like him?" She asked Oghren when he spoke of this body they found. "Maybe if we get it around enough people will believe your dead, and then we don't have to keep running." Reaching up, she began scratching at the back of her neck. And with looking further ahead she began to see the end of the tunnel and a smile began to form upon her lips. She looked down to Ander's hand, which she grasped and practically begun pulling him along. Once again picked up her pace to run towards the exit, un-hesitant what may lay on the other side. "Come on slow poke." She hollered at Oghren and looking back to Anders before telling him in a jokingly tone. "Maybe you should heal me more often it seems like it helps energizing me."

When Leliana questioned Anders about why he hadn't mentioned that he was a Grey Warden like Oghren, and especially after seeing how boastingly proud the dwarf was at the moment from taking compliments from a pretty lady, it nearly took everything within himself to keep from rolling his eyes. While he could understand the great pride and traditions the Grey Wardens generally had as a whole, he knew that because of his 'special condition' they would have treated him no different now than of what the templars would have done to him. Besides, Anders was more of a coward than brave hero; and he'd rather not risk his neck when he didn't need to do it…he never did.

"Let's just say, there are some things they and I don't really get along on, and just leave it at that." He answered her after a while.

Oghren glanced over his shoulder, looking up towards him. "You're still pissed that the new Warden Commander made you get rid of your cat, aren't you?"

"Ser Pounce-A-Lot did nothing to him. All he ever did was cuddle my neck." Anders gave a slight fake pout and folded his arms. Though, despite his joking aside, it was clear to see that he really didn't agree with the decision of having to give up the kitten. He paused briefly and looked back down at Oghren. "…Speaking of Stroud, is he with you? …I'll give you a sack of honey-mead from the Free Marches, if you keep me being down here a secret."

"Done and done." Oghren laughed and looked on ahead, "But you know, you'll have to do some bargaining with Sigrun too."

"Wonderful!" Anders started to chime, but Leliana's question had Oghren a bit slow to answer. The dwarf really wasn't certain, of course. It was years ago.

Suddenly his hand was tugged and Anders was being pulled even farther into a sprinting run. Having his hand being guided faster and more into the dwarven city, the better he was feeling. They reached the nearest tavern…well the only tavern in that area…of where Oghren and Sigrun were staying together. After a few strong drinks, the group had started to catch up even more.

"I just can't believe it…" Sigrun had started to say as she started to sit down at the table, sitting across from Anders, but next to Oghren. She reached up with her tiny hand to touch the stubble on Anders's chin and grinned. "I mean… We all saw you down. The arrow went right about here… or maybe it was the neck."

"Let me guess: a man in robes, badly burned…?" Anders asked sharp-wittingly and reared back his head slightly. "Do all mages look the same to you?"

"Well, it's good to see you, still… you need to either make up your mind if you're going to grow out that manly beard or shave it off!" Sigrun teased.

"Hey, hey! Women like my peach fuzz, thank you." Anders teased back.

Oghren started to snicker. "If you grew it out more, there'd be something a woman could actually hold on to, if you know I mean. Right Leliana?"

When they all had made it to the tavern and Leliana found herself around the others, she just listened while the others teased Ander's about his facial hair. Reaching out with her hand, she would cup his chin, and if he allowed her she would turn his head towards her. "Hmm." She replied to Oghrens words. "There are other things to grab." She then reached back ruffling his hair about for a moment before dropping her hand back to her side. While using her other hand to grasp onto her drink. "Now Ander's remember no over drinking this time." She teased.

Looking to Sigrun and Oghren she would lean into the table completely ignoring Ander's presence next to her as she made a motion with her hand as if to draw the two dwarfs in. "Why don't you guys tell me about good old Anders here?" She asked excitedly. "I doubt the lump will tell me much, after all he left out the goods of him being a Warden after all." She said looking back to him. Remembering him saying something about a kitten, a kitty? Whatver it was. She was surprised the Warden had made him give it away when she was given a Nug from the very same person "Do you even know where you cat is? I mean, the Warden once got me a Nug and I still have him to this day. Not with me of course poor thing would be neglected but the Warden heard how much I adored the thing and got me one. Then again I could make him do anything for me..." She said with a wide smile. "Such a cute nug he is."

He raised a slight eyebrow towards her when the woman practically looked him over like a piece of meat to be judged. Not that he minded at all; it was just a little unexpected of reactions from her. Still, her answer had him grinning a bit and soon another eyebrow wiggle of approval towards the two dwarves next. The continued question about the whereabouts of his cat made the mage shrug some and look off to the side. He really didn't like discussing it since it did cause him to miss his feline companion.

"You took a dwarven delicacy in as a pet?" Sigrun asked, a little confused and then started to gasp in a bizarre connection soon to come. "Wait! So, does that mean topsiders consider cats as delicacies?"

"What? No!" Anders quickly protested in shock of the question; which in turn left Sigrun quickly apologizing to the mage left and right. Her big cheeky grin was proud on her face, but it was the look of a foot-in-mouth moment.

"It was a different Warden Commander, not the Hero of Ferelden." Oghren started to explain and reached for his mug. "After the battle over in Amaranthine, an Orlesian Grey Warden Commander named Stroud took in charge of our ranks. The Warden that you and I know, has gone off in search of another adventure somewhere else. 'Said something about finding Morrigan…"

"Stroud and Anders had their disagreements, but the rumor claimed that it was stemmed from him forcing him to get rid Ser Pounce-A-Lot." Sigrun added.

"The warden said he …made me too soft, so I had to give him away." Anders finished for the both of them, and took his mug to drink; whether just to rebel or to have a toast to his lost cat, it was unsure. All the same, he chugged back a long drink, and kept on gulping.

"Anders and Justice use to banter all the time back then too." Sigrun added, causing Anders to choke on his drink in the background. "Justice use to say that Anders enslaved the cat by forcing him to be his companion and Anders felt it necessary to explain to Justice what the term 'pet' means. It was so cute."

"For the record, Sigrun, I never harmed my cat—would ever dream of harming my cat—and certainly never planned of having my cat harmed in our future untold adventures. There was just no place of safety I could keep him." Anders responded quickly and sat back up, placing his mug back down to the table.

"I know, I know." Sigrun beamed brightly again. "Your point is—and was—still valid. With all the darkspawn running around. You were a good Papa-cat-owner, Anders."

"Thank you." Anders nodded back with a smile in return.

"Justice was another member of the crew too. Somehow, I got dragged into the Fade with the others, in the mix of that mumbo-jumbo, this spirit claiming himself to be Justice was spat back out into the real world. He inhabited an old Grey Warden's dead corpse and the Warden said it was good enough to join the club." Oghren laughed in his explanation; remembering the good ol' days. He then scratched under his nose at his mustache some and leaned slightly against his chair. "Whatever happened to that old Justice spirit, I wonder…"

"What do you mean?" Anders asked, feeling a slight bead of sweat glide down his forehead. "He's dead, you know that."

"Yeah… But still…" Oghren paused some and looked back towards Anders. "Do you think he made it out of Amaranthine too?"

"Justice was strong, but his body wasn't." Anders added; though his tone sounded more like a confirmation that "Justice" was dead, and then leaned back to order another round of drinks for the meantime.

"A shame… a real sodding shame." Oghren shook his head to the thought.

"Yeah. I hardly knew him as much as either of you two did." Sigrun frowned a little.

"Oh Ander's don't let it go to your head." She joked, when she saw his expression of him wiggling his eyebrows. "That sounds nothing like my Warden." She started, as her brows began furrowing as she spoke. While she began resting her back against her chair. "This commander though sounds like a jerk. I would of told the guy to shove it if he told me to get rid of my precious Nug. Then again I do have charm in other areas with men then you do, so it probably helped me getting my Nug and keeping him? Have you ever thought of getting a new kitty?"

Looking to Sigrun, Leliana rose her arms shaking them left to right as she mentioned her Nug being a Dwarven delicacy. She couldn't help herself when she saw such a cute animal. "I can't believe you guys eat the poor things. There so adorable with those floppy ears and those squeaky squeaks. I could never see eating my poor Nug."

Looking to Oghren, as he spoke of their past Warden and searching for Morrigan kind of angered her. She crossed her arms over her frame firmly, as her orbs glued to the floor board. "I'll never understand him... Looking for that witch. Its not like there's anything great to find, once he does and if he does find her." She said in a kind of irritated tone, she was horrible at hiding her emotions. Specially when it came to someone she cared so deeply for once. The odd hatred and jealously towards the witch didn't help. But who wouldn't if their Warden left to find such a woman?

Sighing she looked to Anders and his explanation of his cat making him to soft for the Wardens brought a smile to come to her lips as she rested her arms back to the table. "You are a bit of a softy." Leliana added. "Just look how easy it was for me to convince you to let me come along with you." She teased.

Reaching out, Leliana grabbed onto her new placed drink on the table. Her fingers interlacing with one another as she listened to this Justice they spoke of. She was strangely confused now. They spoke of him Justice as they knew him. The last she heard Justice was a part of Ander's. Her confused expression showed it all as she shifted her head wanting to say something. But halted as she began to open her lips to begin to speak as she saw Ander's whole stature change before her. "Dead?" She began to question curiously uncertain if her single word would be heard, as she brought her drink to her lips taking a small sip. "Where are all these Warden's popping out from anyways. It seems not long ago the order was so small." Pausing she began counting to herself on her fingers. "Err.. Okay maybe its been a few years but still..."

"There was help from the Orlesians once they had word of the straggling darkspawn still lurking about after the Blight." Oghren shrugged some in his explanation, "And after killing the Arch Demon, the Grey Wardens immediately looked to recruit more numbers for Ferelden's protection. It's been a struggle ever since, but we're winning."

"So! Is that why you've tunneled yourselves back underground here or did you just miss the dirt?" Anders beamed brightly in a tease; however, the laughs he got from the dwarves showed that they took it as a true compliment.

"Maybe a little of the first part…" Ogrhen started to say, but Sigrun finished for him quickly.

"Stroud is having us force back the straggling darkspawn surfacing from around the edges of the other dwarven tunnels." She explained and reached out to hold Oghren's hand before turning towards him and giving a smile. "And when the time comes, we're going to join the Legion of the Dead together."

Anders could feel a cold sweat collect from the back of his neck once more. He didn't like the talk of the Legion of the Dead; not after everything he learned about what it meant and why—for whatever true reason Ogrhen had—for wanting to go back underground. He was certain the dwarf didn't want to really talk about something that personal, and Anders certainly didn't want to hear it.

But being the slightly naïve one to Grey Warden traditions and knowledge, Sigrun turned to look back towards Anders. "Why are you hiding from Stroud, again?"

The mage kept his smile pleasant while the waitress came by to exchange drinks and deliver the next round for them. "Come on, Sigrun. There's so much more I want to do before digging around underground… and if I have to listen to Stroud's prattling on and on about his proud mustache, I'll probably hurl!"

She laughed and reached for her glass to clink it against the others before taking a sip.

"I have to admit that is one thing I do not miss on our adventures." She said, speaking towards Oghren about the Darkspawn. "Bloody darkspawn were enough to give you nightmares just the way they looked, you didn't need to become a Grey Warden to get that luxury." Looking down to the table Leliana's hues caught onto Sigrun's and Oghren's hands holding one another. A smile had come over her as she looked to the two but more so to Oghren as she spoke. "I see you found someone to put up with your crazy antics?" She teased.

When the next drink was placed in front of her, Leliana looked to it, and then her current drink which she found herself not even finished with… Yet. Picking it up her older drink, she began to chug it until there was no more. Before setting it down as she began looked over to the crew, raising her glass to clack it with the others, and begun to sip on this one. "Whos gonna pay for this?" She asked with a pause. "Its not going to be like in that other town where we just left now is it Anders?" She asked in a teasingly tone.

Looking ahead Leliana saw a few bards, and instruments. Her eyes lit right up as she rose a hand and an index finger to the trio signaling she would be right back. As she stood from her chair and made her way over to the bards taking her drink along.

"Can you play me a song?" She asked one of the Bards.

The bard nodded his head in a response, standing to his feet grabbing his instrument in hand as he gestured his friends in the back to follow. Slowly started the lute, then the drums, and a small harp in the far back could be heard softly, following the mans words, as he began to sing.

A smile smeared across her lips, as she twirled around and ran back over to the table setting her drink down. "Anders…" She said in a sweetly toned voice, in it could clearly be heard of her wanting something from him. She extended her arm out, her hand reaching out for his. "Wanna dance?"


	4. Chapter 4

Before either Oghren or Anders could answer her about the drinks, Leliana had already set her turned her attention towards the bards. Anders looked back towards the table for the moment, feeling a bit sheepish and in a fit where he'd probably have to give an answer this time around.

"We're not going to run—" He paused a moment and then shrugged a little shyly and grinned, reaching back for his mug once more, "—okay maybe…"

"Don't worry. Stroud's been keeping a tab on this place for the Grey Wardens." Sigrun reassured him with a nod.

Oghren started to lean more comfortably back into his chair and stretched his arms up over his head. "Yep, yep… Me and the Miss's here can just sit back and get drunk 'till one of the others show up."

"On Stroud's tab, huh?" Anders grin sprung a bit wirily at the sound of that and raised his hand towards the waitress for another quick round. "Hey, barkeep! Keep'em coming. My Captain's made o'solid sovereigns, he is!"

The woman behind the counter swung a salute to him and proceeded back towards making drinks, leaving Anders to relax more back against his chair again.

"Now, this is probably the only real thing I miss." Anders admitted to his friends.

"Not even Nathaniel?" Sigrun questioned quickly, "Or Valeria?"

"That elf was crazy enough to set my hair on fire—if she could. And Nathaniel was a complete prude!" Anders shrugged a bit in thought. "…Alright. Maybe a little… I did they ever find a sense of humor?"

"They've lightened up quite a bit. Still a couple of sticks in the mud, but not as bad." Oghren shrugged back in response.

Anders laughed, finding himself still being drawn into conversation. Part of him wanted to shock the other two; almost missing speaking with them as well. However, he knew better than to do that. The mage didn't know of what they probably knew of them and such things were dangerous. It was better when people were oblivious of him, his intentions, or simply just believing him to have been dead.

However, his thoughts had been taken from him when he heard his name being called in such a gentle tone. His eyes looked towards the hands that stretched for him and then Leliana and blinking away his slight haze of the alcohol. The song was slow, and that meant close contact, surely. He gulped some and started to shake his head, feeling his grin unable to wipe away for the most part.

"I can't, I can't." He quickly started to excuse himself.

"Oh, get up there." Sigrun waved her hand at him; wanting to see Anders happy still.

"No," the mage insisted.

Oghren laughed a bit, "If you don't I will."

"N-no, I-I have a bone in my leg and two left feet." He explained with a silly pitch to his voice and reached for his cup. Drinking down the liquid, he then turned his chair slightly away from the table and more towards Leliana's dancing. "Although, I'll watch you with most interest, milady."

"I might take you on that offer Oghren." She replied, smiling back to her old companion. "Though I think you should dance with your lady first. It is the right thing to do after all." Looking back to Anders she placed her outstretched hand on her hip that she shifted out to the side. "Now Anders." She started. "That won't be much fun. Not without you." She said taking a few steps in to where she stood only, maybe a foot away from him now. Maybe less.

Looking back to the bard, she listened for a moment while they played the song. Her smile widened on her lips, she understood why Anders hesitated. After all it would be a bit awkward, him being a mage, and her a chantry lady but no one knew this besides Oghren and them. But she was still was going to give it her best, and get him out there. "Pleaseee." She pleaded like a child would to their parent. Her hands reached out to his once more. Her gloved hands grasping and cocooning around his own. "You know you owe me… Letting me get hit by those arrows. That really hurt you know… I'll forgive ya if you dance with me." She said, as she tried to make her tone serious as possible as her body and arms gave a soft tug to his. Usually she wasn't so persistent, but it did get lonely dancing by herself, and even if she didn't blame Anders for what happened she still thought it might be a good enough for a guilt trip. For this one time.

Perhaps it had been the pleading, or the alcohol, or perhaps both. Either way, Leliana's pleadings were tugging at Anders's heartstrings. She did have point, though there wasn't much logic to it; somehow it was valid at that moment. In his mind, Anders questioned the Maker to what he was getting into and threw back his head to gulp down the rest of his tankard. He placed it on the table and started to attempt at balancing himself to his feet.

"No you won't. You're going to hold that against me forever." He laughed and looked back towards his companions as he was being dragged away to the dance floor. "Make sure the next ones are coming."

He stumbled forward a little, wondering idly just how many he had. It had to have been enough to loosen his nerves quite a bit. He had to drink, just to relax in such a place—a place that was closer towards the darkspawn; though in truth, there was really no place he could relax. Between his need for rest and a moment of peace, these cravings caught up to him where his body wanted to simply shut down.

So, he found himself standing in front of Leliana, and lifting his hands to press against his palms to hers. Taking a few steps towards a dance that seemed (similar to an irish culture) foreign other than to anyone to studied the Anderfels, the blonde male couldn't help but to have his snickering bubbling over in small fits of laughter.

"I'm too big and clumsy for anything fancy." He warned lightly.

"You two should join in. Dancing is good for the soul." She stated to the two dwarfs.

Clapping her hands a few times in excitement followed by bouncing up and down upon her tippy toes showed her happyness that she had gotten her way, amazingly. Her emotions got the best of her obviously as she tightened her grip onto Anders hand and began to lead him to the dance floor. She saw how... Loose he was, making a chuckle escape through her lips. Looking over Anders shoulder and to Sigrun and Oghren she spoke out. "I don't think this fella should have anymore." She called out before looking back to Ander's smiling. "You're probably right, I'll hold that over you for a while yet. It was very embarrassing you know to have my garments off for no reason. I don't do that just for anyone."

Looking to their hand's Leliana began pressing back with her palms, her fingers interlacing with his. She slowly began following his lead, swaying her hips back and fourth. Until she made a sudden movement, twirling herself around, their hands still bound. His arms would of course wrap around her body from this sudden change of motions, along with her arms resting on top of his. Her back rested against his chest for a moment as she began to close her eye paying attention to nothing but the music filling the room. "Just don't fall on me... I don't know how stable you are." She questioned, peaking through her eye, as she began to spin once more, and out of his arms. One hand released from Anders as the other stayed. Stepping out from the side of him she began walking forward, making the duo to walk in circle like stroll yet still in a form of a dance.

Of course, Oghren and Sigrun were waving their hands away and shaking their heads. They seemed more content with drinking the rest of the ale If Leliana and Anders weren't going to dance. The mage had pouted some at the thought of not having another full tankard. He would have to swipe it fast when he returned later. His eyes had soon shifted back towards Leliana curiously when she spoke about having herself exposed to him, and it left Anders rather compelled to answer.

"I hear the role plays between mage and the templar order are quite popular. Any Lay Sisters or initiates would be no less." He teased, carrying his grin firm. "So, you've just given a sinner a dream come true at best."

Her change in motions and switched position had done all but fumbled Anders just to keep up with her. She was moving in too close, and he was certainly at a delicious buzz. While he felt that he was treading on air, he was actually stumbling and the dwarven dancers around were the ones to really notice. Her dance moves were slightly different from his; which Anders couldn't decide if it was something he could keep up with or not. It left him a little stiff, what he did know, were things that were fast paced.

"If you keep that up, I'm not making any promises." He finally laughed upon catching her back into his grasp.

As she started to lead them more in a circle, his left arm had slid more around her waist and his right held it still interlocked with her own to hold it respectively high. He shifted his stance some, trying to take over the leading position but it just hadn't quite worked out for there couldn't have been two leads. So, he had stepped back and pushed the dance steps into a few more splits between them and twirls and then pulling tight against her lastly.

Tight. Too tight; too close. He was looking down at her with both of his arms wrapped around her waist. Escape. He needed an escape before drunken intendancies would have caused him to react on the closeness. For after all, it had only been a few months since his last relationship problems. Drunken actions caused even more.

Anders's eyes darted away and his tongue barely had split between his lips until he caught it with his teeth. Spreading his arms out wide and stepping backwards, the mage tripped over a dwarf near him and fell to the floor.

"Oh yes you should of seen those Templar's eating right out of my hand." She joked, while raising one of her palms out for a moment before quickly retreating in back and onto Ander's. "You're no sinner Ander's. Your just you. Remember everyone can be forgiven."

She snickered at his words of him not making any promises if she had continued what she was doing. Looking to her waist, she felt his hand cup her hip. She reached out resting her free hand on his arm. While her eyes had traveled up looking into his golden ones. She wasn't expecting when Anders took control. And once again she was in his arms. She shifted her head back to rest on his chest while her hands laid over his own. The tightness surprisingly didn't bother her, closing her eyes once more she began to feel the heat of his body draw closer into hers... It was relaxing. Something she hadn't felt in such a long time that she was becoming lost in the sense. It wasn't until the release of his arms that caused her to open her eyes in shock and look around curiously.

The sound of crashing filled the small room. And Leliana didn't hesitate to turn around, and jolt to his side. A rather confused look came over her face. Not knowing if it was something she did or something completely different. Maybe he had too much to drink?

Kneeling down near his side, she would grasp his arm to begin to pull him up at least to a sitting position. Her hand stayed on his shoulder patting it a few times before she spoke. "What happened?" She questioned shifting her head to the side curiously. "First off are you okay. I think you might of made a dent in the floor. But your falling it wasn't something I did was it?"

Anders stretched some, arching his back and looking over his shoulder to rub his sore rear-end from where he landed. "Maker's breath! That's smart… I didn't think I landed that hard…"

"What did you think you landing into? A bed?" The dwarf he tripped over grumpily snarled and started to stumble his stubby limbs back to his feet.

"I was, kinda hoping…?" Anders joked in a dizzy manner in his attempt to play his embarrassing tumble off. He looked back to Leliana and smiled some, rubbing her arms for comfort and leverage in his decision on how he was going to stand back up too. "I-I'm fine. I just… lost where I was, I think… You're right. Too much ale."

Meanwhile, leave it Oghren to laugh his butt off at the commotion and Sigrun to try and reassure the other dwarf that Anders had meant no harm. He just hadn't seen where he was going.

"You shoulda seen the look on his face! Way to take one for the team, Sparklefingers!" Oghren teased…or was it a cheer? He was too drunk to really make sense; but at least he was able to balance himself – at least one thing he could hold a candle to in his difference.

"I think I should—should lay down…" Anders mumbled out; still breathing a sigh of relief from his clutzy save. He started to move, standing back to his feet and stretching against before slinking next to the table Sigrun and Oghren remained.

"Anders, you can take my room to the right over there." Sigrun pointed quickly in her concern and started to move out of her seat. She took his hand and lead him somewhat bewildered over towards the area.

"Ar-Are you sure?" Anders slurred, stumbling and leaning between her and Leliana to the room.

"Course. I'm bunking with Oghren tonight." She started to laugh and then patted his arm. "You and Leliana can take this one."

"Sigrun." Anders began after her. "You! Are a cupcake."

Oghren raised his mug up from the table towards Leliana soon enough. "How's about I steal that dance real quick?"

Leliana nodded. She was thankful to hear he was okay after all. And to see a Dwarf coming out from under Ander's actually was a funny sight. That was one thing she wasn't expecting. Since she hadn't seen the dwarf nowhere near when Anders had taken his fall. Then again dwarfs were tiny.

Looking to Oghren as he bellowed out in laughter. She shook her head at the name he had given Anders. She would have to write that one down for sure. "Now Oghren be nice. We don't want Ander's waking up in the middle of the night and drawing funny faces or drawings on you." She joked. Just as Ander's spoke of a room, she was about to go book one. But stopped herself when Sigrun mentioned him to take hers. With him leaning against the two, she began to lead Anders to the direction of the room. At least that was until she heard Oghren call out to her.

Glancing over her shoulder, Leliana would halt in her steps for a moment as she looked over Ander's and then Sigrun. She figured it wouldn't take long and after all she needed to catch up real quick with the dwarf. Just him and her. Taking Ander's arm that was wrapping around her shoulder, she would lay it to his side. And before retreating she made sure he was stable enough to stand on his own, with the help of Sigrun of course. "I'll see you shortly?" She questioned to Anders, giving him a quick smile as she ran in the direction of Oghren.

"Shall we?" She questioned, while holding out her hand to the dwarf. A smile accompanying her features. "I don't know how much longer these bards are going to keep going for." She said, no longer waiting for another minute as she grasped onto Oghren's hand and began to lead him out on the dance floor. "No getting to friendly." She joked. "I know how your mind works. I haven't forgotten."

"Well isn't that just my luck." Oghren snickered while taking the lead quickly on the dance floor. 'Course he was still grinning ear to ear, dancing with the tallest woman in the room for a change. "You know, once you grease up the ol' bronto, there's no falling off!"

He took the form of dancing much closer than Anders's invited form, of course. He didn't mind the closeness, and his thoughts were practically all over the place under heavy alcohol as it was. The dwarf 'drank like a fish' as the other Grey Wardens would boast, and he handled it better than most taller than him too.

When the music had started to pick up at a faster pace, it was clear that they were playing this one song for an encored finale. Oghren took that opportunity spin Leliana around; or at least from where he could at his height, and introduced a few dwarven steps—which had soon started to pull other dancing dwarves into more of a lion dance.

"So, what'd ya think of Sigrun?" The dwarf asked happily; unable to keep his school-boy antics to himself. "Quite the looker for a stone-born cast, huh?"

"Grease up the ol- what'o?" She questioned as she attempted to lean down to where her body wasn't completely hovering over the dwarfs. Even though this made it more difficult to dance, she still made her moves almost look flawless. Her arms rose up, moving along with her bodies form. When she was pulled by Oghren. Most unexpectedly, she widened her eyes not even thinking he could maneuver her so... Well. Since this was a first for her amazingly to dance with a dwarf. And he actually wasn't to shabby at it either.

As the others had joined in, and the pace had picked up she found herself tiring as she picked up her pace. The last drink she had gulped down not too long ago was not helping at this moment. Almost as if making her light headed and weary. To push this aside, she shook her head as she fought it and continued to dance with Oghren to enjoy the rest of her night. "Hmm?" She spoke over the roaring crowds of dwarfs surrounding them, making it slightly more difficult to hear. "Oh Sigrun. Yes. She's beautiful. And you know me and appearances. I never lie about that." She stated. "I think you should ask her to marry you. You're not getting any younger anyways."

"No, see, that's the beauty of it!" Oghren smiled back in his moment to take the lead. "We're in a relationship that's not defined by titles. All these other dwarves here are usually looking to marry for each others's casts. We don't need it."

Upon the downbeat of the song, the dwarves had started to spread out and at last ended their dance with a common pose used from their subculture. Oghren took a whiskey-drained breath to relax when the step was done and wiped his brow for the moment before at last having his breath caught up with himself in order to speak.

"Besides, you know I ain't the settling down type. Felsie kicked me out the minute I started to even think about joining the wardens…" He shrugged some and then moved slightly towards Leliana's side to reach up and reset her standing position again. "Hey, don't get caught stuck that way now—"

Sigrun sighed some upon returning back to the table. She sat down in the chair, half expecting the others to come and join her for a few more drinks. Which mostly came to Oghren's calling soon, and he headed back for a refill.

"So, how you've been holding up anyways?" He started to ask Leliana and plopped down in his chair next to Sigrun once more.

Leliana shrugged her shoulders in his response to not wishing to get married. It made sense after all, for him at least. She on the other hand. If were given the chance with the right person of course, she would want to marry. But that was her way of looking at things not Oghren's. "I see your point. Is that okay with Sigrun though? I know how some women wish to be bonded that way with their lover after all."

As she was pushed up from Oghren pressing against her shoulder, she felt a relief come over her back. Squinting her eyes for a moment, she reached back rubbing her spine to sooth the area for a moment. "Yeah I don't want to be looking like an old lady, when I'm still in my youth years." She added with a bright smile.

Looking over, and following the dwarf slowly behind. Leliana stopped as she rested her hands on the table while leaning into it. "You're a bottomless pit when it comes to you ale aren't ya?" She joked. When she was asked what she had been up to. The most recent thought passed through her mind. When she first met Ander's, hunting for him with everyone that was out to get him. And then freeing him from the Templars, she knew they wouldn't remember this even if she did mention it from their drunkenness but she didn't want to take that chance as she replied. "Nothing much... Just been keeping my mind preoccupied you know. If I don't then I get myself in trouble." Reaching over their table, Leliana grabbed her drink she left their earlier before the dancing took place. Pulling it to her, and pressing it against her lips. It was warm from sitting for too long. Twitching one eye, she sat the cup down and looked over her shoulder, and to the room she knew Anders would be in. "Mind if I go? I'm sure we'll be here tomorrow to catch up, and this way you can have some fun time with your lady."

Oghren had nodded most to Leliana's questions and spoke up quick in response. "Sigrun? Oh, yes. She's fine with it. Probably the happiest decision either of us could have ever made."

"What decision was that?" Sigrun asked him quickly.

"Oh, Leliana's just asking about us not tying the knot." He explained to her and reached for his tankard to drink from; and then giving a belly-laugh from his friend's 'compliment' to drinking.

"Absolutely not. I wouldn't want a wedding. I'd have no place to hold it." Sigrun shook her head and smiled back to Oghren. "My cast disowns me and his cast disowned him, so there's no room for a marriage topside or –even less—a stonesetting. It's almost like a forbidden romance…"

"It get's pretty hot. You should try it sometime." Oghren winked back at Leliana and watched as she started to take her leave. Of course, that his next drunken verbal celebration. "Oh! Heh-heh. You're sure the mage is awake to be going to the boneyard? You might find a blanket monster."

"Oghren!" Sigrun gasped at him quickly.

"Oh, don't get your beard tied in a knot, woman." Oghren raised his arms up and turned slightly towards the one scolding him. "It's pretty obvious, she's been looking to mount that anvil. There's been polished glances all which-a-way tonight."

"The only thing polished up, are those beer-goggles poking out your big head." Sigrun teased and folded her arms. "Besides, if you can't put it any nicer than that, then you shouldn't suggest it in public."

"You got a better one, Roll-stalker?" Oghren was quick to challenge her.

Sigrun pondered for a moment and then leaned towards Oghren with a bright smile. "Love is a sensation that is caused by temptation a boy puts his location into a girl's destination, do you get my explanation or do you want a demonstration?"

Oghren started to chuckle some and looked back over towards Leliana, giving her a slight wink. "I'll catch ya in the morning."

Leliana halted in her tracks at Oghren's words. Looking over her shoulder she gave the dwarf a small death glare. She hadn't even noticed her actions. Let alone them being obvious. "I swear Oghren, you still surprise me to this day." She said with a shake of her head. "Sorry to disappoint though dear. There is nothing going on between Anders and I. So don't get your hopes up..."

Looking to Sigrun, she of course smiled to her. As she said what she said to the nasty minded man dwarf. It was one thing she didn't miss about him. But at least she could get a good laugh at it years later. "Don't worry." She started with a short pause. "I'm use to it, kinda. It just takes time to get use to all over again." She said as she begun to pick up her trail again and with a wave of her hand, and begun walking to the room.

As she met the door, Leliana looked over to Oghren and Sigrun before she leaned into the door placing her ear against the wood of the frame. "Hmm." She began humming to herself as she positioned herself back to stand straight once more, and raising her hand she balled her hand to a small fist knocking on the door about three times. She was going to wait for an answer but after a second she reached down, turning the knob of the door and swung the door open as she gave a fair warning. "Anders I'm coming in."

Leliana quietly walked into the room, carefully closing the door behind her. She examined the room, standing near the door way. Then her eyes stared at the bed, seeing Anders there. A smile smeared across her lips as she slowly began to make her way over to the bedside, as she made herself comfortable by sitting on the edge. "Anders are you still even up?" She asked, leaning into the bed and looking over the Mages shoulder in hopes to see his face or something showing he was still awake.

Anders had been laying on the surprisingly plush bed and staring up at the ceiling. He figured it was probably for the wardens. The wardens always got special treatment nearly anywhere, these days. So to Anders, it wasn't much of a surprise in the end after all. His mind wasn't truly focused over the bed, how soft that it was, nor of the lush green comforter that he was nestled on top of at the moment.

The only thing that was really bugging him at the time was Justice. He could hear the voice in his head; his voice—no that wasn't right—his own voice. This was because himself and Justice were a whole, and continued to operate as a whole. However, as a whole, his feelings of mixed anxiety and lust stirred an even bitter emotion of confusion and lastly: rage, from it. Ultimately, he was disappointed in himself; even for a little bit to have allowed the flirtation and the booze truly get to him.

He heard the door knock, causing the mage to jump from the bed and sit up. After hearing Leliana's voice, Anders quickly laid back down and rolled over to his side. He closed his eyes and tried to think quickly. Sleep! That was right. He could pretend to be asleep. Nuzzling the pillow some, Anders thought it if he played it off correctly, he could act like he was having a good dream-probably too good of a dream to even be woken up from, and then confrontation could be avoided.

"Oh, Lay Sister, your breasts are so perky!" He beamed in his pretend sleep and then took in a large snore after feeling the presence Leliana stepping closer.

As she began to crawl on the bed she would shift her head to the side curiously. One thing she was good at was seeing when one was faking a sleep. As she almost hovered over Anders she braced herself with one arm reaching over him as the other planted in front of him while the other was behind him."You know I saw your eyes open the moment I stepped in." She stated her body slouching down closer to his own. As if on purpose just to make him feel uncomfortable.

"You'll have to do better than that." She began to say as she braced herself on one arm and reached up, and with her index finger and thumb she would give a soft pinch to his cheek. "My teacher had taught me much better then to fall for the sleeping trick." She whispered into his ear in a lean into his features as she spoke of one of her only mentor Marjolaine. The woman had taught her so much in the years she had served her, mostly what she had learned was to read the people around her and learn to make them do as she pleased. Though her people reading skills were coming more in handy at this moment more than anything.

When Anders muttered the words through his faken sleep she almost lost her balance, but caught herself. She raised her hand as if to smack the mage, but then stopped. She knew he was either trying so hard to fake this slumber or play with her mind. With this thought she finally she reached down, and with her hand she grasped onto his taking it, and placing it over her breast. She held it there, as a smile began to form on her lips that moment as she finally broke the silence once more. "How about you stop dreaming about doing something. And actually do that something."


	5. Chapter 5

Anders had done his best to remain in his pretend-sleeping stage; although it seemed that Leliana had seen right through his knavery…

Curses! He should have said Andraste's breasts…or a brewd mother's… Wait. No! He didn't want that last image haunting him. Anders already had enough nightmares as it was!

His hand was lifted and pressed against something that was soft. Upon hearing her words, mage looked towards her. As any gentleman should have been, at the moment, to look more into Leliana's eyes, Anders was not. His sights had trailed along his arm, and then down to his hand where it rested over the Nightingale's right breast. Anders could feel the lump of nervousness in his throat; a solid form refusing to have went down, as he shifted his guided hold in order to cup the side of her breast in his hold.

"Leliana, you're drunk and I'm drunk—wow, they are perky…" He mumbled and moved his hand lightly to gently coax her breast more against his touch.

After a stolen moment of practically feeling her up, he sighed nervous still, and lifted his hand. Looking away, Anders retracted his hand gently back towards himself.

"Don't tease me like this. You're going to get involved with something you'll regret…and I don't want you hurt." He warned and suppressed a shudder.

As she laid there she wasn't expecting what she felt next. Her beating heart began to race against the palm of his hand, she sighed almost to catch more air within her body and to her lungs. Shortly after that, she felt a tightness start to over whelm her stomach. She really didn't think she would do such a thing. To either of them, was Oghren actually right for once? Averting her eyes she looked to his hand a smiled then after a moment gazed back up to him.

A chuckle had passed through her lips when he spoke of them being perky. "Would you think they'd be anything but?" She questioned, arching her brow curiously to him. She tried her best to ignore his strokes of his hand against her, biting her lower lip in doing so. Finally she went to his first statement, hoping it would clear her head. "Really now? I thought we were both sober like two good chantry sisters."

When his hand had left her, she began to furrow her brows in slight disappointment. Any man she had made attempts at had never stopped. Dropping her hand to the bed she began drawing along the sheets with her index finger, as her emerald hues gazed upon that one spot as she listened to his words. Regret? Hurt? She knew those two words all too well, but deep down she felt there was something possibly different between them.

Reaching out with her arm extended out, she laid it over the Mage's waist as she began to pull herself closer to him. She rested her forehead onto his chest for a moment, allowing herself to collect her thoughts and calm her racing heart and breathing pattern. "You know..." She paused, as she began shifting her head up, her eyes gazing into his own as she began to reassure him with her words. "I don't believe you'll hurt me... I've had my good share of troubles. And I doubt you can surpass any of them."

She was making moves, guiding him more towards her and he whimpered slightly from the warmth she provided, resting against him. Leliana seemed so inviting and innocent; which was hardly the temptation that sought the mage, but instead it was her physical contact. She was so close, and Anders generally would have been quicker to escape if it were not for the drinks that stirred his need for that specific comfort. It was almost as if he was scared but made no attempts to have left her nor to have pushed her away.

"Please don't—" He started to protest until she was speaking to him again. Anders did listen, but his eyes had closed for the moment before looking into hers again. He reached up, resting his hand against her cheek.

"You've seen what I hide… And I don't have much control." He spoke softer, as though wary to have even confided that much. "I am too dangerous. Unpredictable. You do not want to tempt me."

His hand slid down Leliana's shoulder to rest down against her back. His eyes had fluttered down towards her lips once more. Anders could see the image in his mind, of kissing them; her tussled red hair lifting from her flushed face and tucked back against her ear. Anders's soft breath had left a clear indication of his restrained lust, but he tried to ignore the feeling.

Leliana began to close her eyes once again, her mind went elsewhere as the warmth of their bodies pressed against each other. She was taking advantage of this moment, not rushing it. As she never noticed how much she missed just being held. It was something she took for granted. And it had been years.

She pressed her chin to his chest fluttering her eyes open showing her emerald hues which seemed to gleam from the little of lighting that was in that room. As a smile accompanied her features as she reached up and placed her hand to his cheek, her bare fingertips began to make soft and slow circular motions as she finally broke the silence to his protest. "You know... I won't make you do anything you don't want too."

But with no more than seconds later passing she dropped her hand from his cheek, slowly sliding it down his feathered shoulders, his armored chest, and stopping at his waist. Where she found herself fondling at his belt buckle. She hadn't undone anything cause she could tell by his breathing he could hardly hold on for much longer. And she did mean what she said and didn't want to force him. She stayed in her spot on the bed, that was until she propped her arm up, her hand holding her up in almost a slight hover over him. She began to lean into Ander's as her lips met his rough cheek, and slowly traveled along his jawline and stopping at his ear. Her mouth separated, as she took in his ear lobe into her warm moist mouth and began to give it a little suckle, ending with a soft tug with her pearly whites. Her lips met his skin again, trailing now down his neck, and then she stopped again to lean back and look over Ander's face to face once more.

Anders was still breathing a bit heavy as the closer Leliana drew towards him. Her words had spoken one thing but her actions were saying something completely different. It was all he could do to keep from reacting upon impulse. His arm had tightened, holding her body closer to him when felt her trailing her lips down his skin. She was warm and soft, everything Anders had yearned for when traveling through the harshly frozen tundra.

Leliana had reached his earlobe and continued to tease him in such forbidden manners that he found himself slowly surrendering. The slight groan of defeat escaped him as his hand slid from her back to rest at her hips. Anders grinded her more against him and pressed his hand firmly against the loops of her leathered buckling. Nimble fingers flipped open the snaps to Leliana's armor and Anders hand slid underneath to touch where the barrier of her clothing once prevented him.

When she had pulled back slightly, Anders was already turning his face towards her own and moved his lips to hers. However, his kiss was not as angelic as her first greeting to him was. It was hungry and needy; a kiss of passion calling for the touch another. His tongue danced over Leliana's bottom lip before he initially seized her temptation for his own taking.

The warmth of his touch had halted Leliana in her tracks. She looked down for a moment, closing one eye to his touch. As small whimper escaped her lips. She began to shift her body around to where eventually her amour had fallen off of her. She used a free hand to toss the garments aside, next she began working on her boots. Kicking them off in no set area. Now laying in her under garments she began to overlook Anders as she began at his several buckles again. Eventually loosening it and pulling it from its straps.

Her hands pressed against his hips and then traveled downward. At that moment she was taking a visualized memorization of every inch of his body while her fingers roamed about him. She stopped. At the lining of his under garments. Using her first two fingers she began to play along the lining, while her other hand caressed along his lower back regions.

When their lips met for the first time, her eyes had widened. In almost a shocked state she stayed there still as stone. After a moment had passed, she came back to reality. When his tongue started to slide across her lower lip. She parted her lips, and begun to press her soft lips to his own. Opening her mouth a little wider, she latched onto his lower lip playfully in return which lasted no more than a second if that. Her arms then extended out, wrapping around his neck. As she pulled him deeper into their kiss.

Anders slid his arm back over Leliana and rolled on top of him. He hardly noticed the struggle that she had with his belt buckle in comparison to how much fun she seemed to have had with teasing his clothing. It was nice to have that leather armor off from her though; giving themselves one less step of being able to actually feel each other's potential body heat. His arms were both able to wrap around her this time; fulfilling the lingering wish of holding her in this manner.

It was lust though; a dream pushed from the potential need of having another close to him and after drunk from honey and spices to ale, he was loose in expressions. He started to sit up; momentarily taking the time briefly to tug at Leliana's knees to bend some at his waist. If kept her sitting there, just still, perhaps it wouldn't have gone as far as his mind lingered of thinking. This was no more his flustered thoughts from the back of his mind rambling off in vain.

He reached up to his for his collar buckle, slipped the fastening loose and within a split second tucking his arms behind his back to remove the large feathered cloak. Lastly, the layered shirts and long-sleeved knitted undergarment had soon been removed from over his head. At last, he was able to slip his bare hands and arms up underneath Leliana's final loosened layer of clothing to touch her natural body heat with his own.

His lips continued to kiss her in the growing need, and somewhere in the middle of his gentle cuddling and caress over her sides and back, he had found himself rocking her hips slightly more in a rhythm against his growing bulge. Anders paused some when the realization fluttered to him.

When she found herself on top of him a devious smile began to form on her lips. She sat back watching as Ander's undressed himself. She began playing at his tummy when it was bare and there in the open taunting her. Her fingers outlined his abdomen, then her palms pressed against him again as they moved upward to his shoulders, and she leaned in. Her lips separating from one another, and pressing against his neckline and shoulder. Her tongue pressed against his skin as she began to suck softly but also forcefully. When she pulled away a small smacking sound filled the small room, and what was left on his shoulder was a small red hint.

Leliana's body glided along his as the two were practically in sync with one another. She felt her breath rattling, and more difficult to keep up with. She closed her eyes hoping to regain herself. The moment she felt him pressing against her, she couldn't help but let out a soft moan. Over time her own area had begun to moisten, and eventually seeped through her panties. Leliana's movements had continued to move but slower, and softer. As Ander's had stopped underneath her. She opened her eyes to look at him. She figured maybe he was becoming sober and was realizing what he was doing? Maybe.

Her body halted in her movements and she sat herself on him. Not minding the bulge that was pressing against her. As she began shifting her head to the side curiously, while catching her breath to speak. "Is... There something wrong? Did I do something wrong even?" She questioned.

It was too much. His head was spinning, and giving the moment to pause did slip the mage more back into the present moment. Her words were even more ice into his wake-up call. Anders took the time to let the shivers between lust and senselessness slide through his spine. How he wanted so much, to have just arched against her; to have her body claim over him or to have had her taste on his tongue. There was so much his imagination could form and the alcohol in him left Anders nearly lucid enough to attempt it; …and yet…

Maker! What was he thinking? He was taking advantage of this woman! Drunk and irresponsible; despite them both having a few, it was Anders's ultimate decision and he saw that clearly.

"I'm… Maker, it is …difficult… to resist you." He accepted out loud, feeling his blush rise more to his cheeks and buried his face down into Leliana's breasts. He couldn't hide the erection building from himself, he practically pulled her on top of him sit on it. How shameless. Anders was almost certain that he felt she was damp over him in response to it too. It left him to idly ponder who had truly been the one to begin seducing whom…

She felt so warm in his arms; though, and her breasts were so inviting and soft. Leaving a slight regretted action from lifting his head from them, Anders straightened his neck to lightly kiss her forehead.

"Don't hate me…" He coaxed and started to lean back into the bed while loosening his hold from her, "…I'll break your heart, and I could not live with myself if I did something like that to yet another person."

The least she was expecting him to do was stop. So when he did, of course a pouty almost look came over her appearance. She wanted to pull him back, have him kissing her again, them entangled with one another, she felt almost an urge brewing inside her. But the words she spoke just earlier passed through her thoughts. She said she wouldn't force anything upon him. And she meant it. He was too dear to her for her to lose him just because of her silly female emotions. So she didn't act upon them.

As Leliana sat there she listened to his words. In which made a small hint of red splash over her face. Reaching up she began to scratch at her cheek averting her eyes. It wasn't until she felt his cranium press against her breasts that made her look down upon him. A smile formed upon her lips as she laid her arms to rest on his shoulders and with her fingers she began to play with the locked of his loosened hair.

She followed Anders as he laid back on the bed. Her body ultimately colliding with his own. Her head shifted to the side, resting there as she began to listen to his racing heartbeat along with his words that echoed through his chest. "I could never hate you." She started finally picking herself back up, each of her arms planted on each side of him. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you but you won't break my heart." She replied rather cheerfully, as she began to lean into him once more pressing her rosy lips against his. When she pulled away her eyes open up just slightly as she gazed up and through her eyelashes to him. "I just wish you didn't stop." She admitted with a sheepish smile.

His eyes were open when she kissed him again. His hands remained to rest at her waist for the time being. His mind had idly pondered to why he had even started. Anders shouldn't have, but he wouldn't voice it. Deep down, he knew that he wanted the feeling of being loved; even if it was only going to be brief. It came from how he was raised, of course; being neglected that emotion and looked upon like a creature rather than a person. Now, when others were willing to love him and accept him, he truly was the being that they should fear.

"I value meeting you… and I shouldn't have carried on like I did. But I know where this will lead, all too well. There is very little of me left inside of this body… so I cannot afford to lose what I already have from you." He gave a sad smile and reached up to hold her close. He turned his head slightly to breech his lips close towards her ear and whispered gently. "Still, you're going to make a man lust over you wherever you are."

It was more of a bantering tease, but turning lightly sober did bring that more out of him. He could come to terms with himself for kissing her, giving in to most of Leliana's caresses. However to have ended up actually bedding her, would have been something he'd probably punish himself over with a constant looming guilt. He had a mission, and that needed his highest priority.

He turned his head some, as if preparing for sleep, but he left his gentle hold around Leliana, if she wanted to remain there. Anders wouldn't reject from holding her, at least. It remained as a reminder that he would not leave her behind for as long as she would be willing to follow.

The last words he spoke to her made her want to reply with a confession. That confession being that she wanted him, and all of him. She wanted no other man to look at her in such a way especially of lust. She held back her words though, biting her lower lip in doing so. Maybe it was wrong of her, but it was what she felt. She didn't care what others would believe or think for that matter even.

She watched as he began to go to a rest. She slowly followed, resting her temple onto his sternum. Her tiny arms wrapped from behind him, holding him by the shoulders as she begun to close her eyes and drift off to sleep.

To her surprise her slumber didn't last probably no more than thirty minutes. Popping her eyes open, she looked around frantically. Seeing she was still cradled into Ander's muscular physique. She smiled, but the thing that thought or dream per-say that woke her up replayed in her mind. It was of them making love. She tried to shake it but her urges had overcome her. She had already begun releasing herself from Ander's hold, carefully placing his arms to his sides not to wake him. With her hands she slowly shifted downward and stopped at his manhood. She looked up, her curious to see if he awoke. She didn't hesitate any longer, as her fingertips pulled back his piece of garment freeing his member.

Her hand wrapped around him, as her eyes still glued to him. Finally she took the bold move and grew with confidence and with an opened mouth she allowed him to glide in. At first she sucked lightly on the tip, and with her tongue she played with the tip flicking her tongue on the head of his penis. After another moment, and if Ander's hadn't awoken yet and found what she was doing. She would engulf him fully into her, while her tongue massaged his base in soft and swift movements of bobbing her head.

Anders had stirred some from his sleep, but even as he stirred, he felt that he didn't want to awake from his dream just yet. His body felt as if it was being tugged from the fabric of the Fade, and going to sleep with an already prepared hard-on was bound to have left some pretty erotic fantasies. Soon he was warm all over and his eyes started to flutter open. The mage reached up to rub his eyes, and finding that he –for some reason –had been holding his breath a little. Looking down, he saw Leliana over him and Anders quickly dipped his head back against the pillow once more.

He couldn't tell if this was just a dream on top of a dream, or if this moment really had been happening. It almost left him scared to have made a noise, but the strangled moan would not remain in its prison for long. Her mouth over him was too experienced, and the tricks she did with her tongue drove him senseless. Anders did moan at last, gripping the sheets tight between his fingers and closing his eyes back again.

"Le—Leliana…?" He gasped and fought down the urge to have arched himself further into her mouth. With his head dipped back and his arm thrashing up to cover his eyes, his surprised moans would not stop themselves. "Oh, Maker…! …Maker, please—"

Anders didn't know what he was pleading to at the time, though. His breathing was fast, and he tried to have mentally fought from his condition, but there was no turning back. Anders already had a stiff member even before Leliana's recent experiment. Turning his head towards her ankles, Anders opened his eyes and reached outward. He grasped her slender leg and started to position her more gently on top of him.

"Maker, woman…" He moaned once more, slipping off her undergarments about halfway down her thighs and tilted his lips up towards her mound.

His tongue glided along her clit a few times before rhythmically pulsing against it. He tried to time his motions against Leliana's over him, as a more signaled way of indicating just how fast or slow she would have preferred. It was clear from then he couldn't keep himself from acting on his fantasies of her.

Leliana's hand ran over his side, giving soft circular motions with her fingertips. She began to close her eyes finally, while her other hand still wrapped around his member. Giving soft strokes which sped up rather quickly after each movement of her hand and mouth that surrounded him. When his broken words filled her ears she began to release Anders, to glance over her shoulder to him. She smiled her devious smile she got when she knew she was doing something she wasn't really suppose to be doing. But he wasn't arguing so she didn't stop. "Yes Anders?" She questioned, not waiting for a reply as she dropped her head back down to the tip of his erect penis. With separating her lips, she began nipping playfully at the tip of him, followed by a suckle which lasted only a few seconds. Until she did it a few times more, and once again taking him in once more.

She enjoyed hearing his gasps for air and on going moans. This put a sly smile on the bards face even while she was busy tending to him. When she felt the sudden movement of her panties be slid aside. Her actions stopped if for a moment when his lips met her own area. Through muffled moans rumbling deep within the back of her throat she began to shake it. Or at least try. And picked up where she last left off.

Her hand began sliding down him, her index and thumb holding him in place in her mouth as she continued her vigorous movements and attempts to please him. But with her other free three fingers she let travel further downward. Grasping lighting onto his sack, her fingers played yet massaged with the soft yet tightness of his balls. She wondered how long it had been since he had relived himself, him being a firm as he was. Taking a moment she braced herself through her own moans, and begun to suck even harder than before. Her mind set on making him release.

Anders was trying to keep in himself paced, but the more attempts the bard pulled over him the less control he had. His hands traveled over her back and moved to massage Leliana's sides. His mouth was over her mound still, leaving warmed kisses and tender licks. Anders tasted her soon, dipping his tongue more towards into her and gliding it up along her inner walls. However, when she became more vigilant in her actions, it was all he could have done to turn his head away and replace his tongue with his fingers instead.

"Don't stop… Oh, Maker, don't stop…" He breathed before tilting his head more towards his pillow.

Fevered, he tried to find the areas that pleased Leliana the most in return, but his mind was so hazed, that his quick massaging was all over the place. It really had been too long since Anders had even the time to tend to his own needs—which mostly had led to his complete compliance in that moment. How cruel would it to have been for the both of them if he somehow even managed to struggle against it. Anders certainly didn't want that to happen anymore than Leliana apparently did.

"I can't… hold on much longer if you—" He started to speak from an exasperated breath and reached towards her, trying to tilt her chin away.

It wouldn't have been gentleman-like, if he hadn't gave some form of warning. With his hand covering over his shaft securely, Anders had finally plunged his head backwards into the pillow for his release. His left arm remained tight around Leliana's back, and though he was quivering upon his climax, somehow he had remained arched slightly from the air.

His moan for her was loud, loud enough to cause the door to open from a rather abrupt redheaded dwarf. His hand rested on the doorknob as he started to walk in with a small ax being held in his other hand.

"What in the Ancestors' names is going on?" Oghren started to call and then soon his guard was let back down; replaced with a rather cheesy grin if he ever had cheese. "Oh! Hey, isn't she supposed to be the one shouting in this picture?"

Slightly mortified, (and rather in one fell swoop to his right), Anders quickly exposed his spent-covered hand towards Oghren's direction and let loose a gravity spell to push the dwarf back outside and shut the door. Oghren tumbled and rolled over the floor and back into the hallway, landing upside down as his clear image before the door was closed. Anders remained limp for the moment (in more ways than one) and paused in his huffing and puffing to catch his breath.

"Maker's breath…" He exasperated, uncertain even to himself at the moment of what exactly. Perhaps at everything...

He looked back over towards Leliana's womanhood and started finish what was started. Anders couldn't leave her in as much of a wound-up state as he was before going to bed. At least now, he was able to concentrate more, and to learn of which areas she enjoyed receiving pleasure.

She didn't want him to stop, the feeling of him, even his fingers inside her felt so good to her. Her gasping and thrashing around as she did showed this was true. She fluttered open her hazy eyes as he spoke of not being able to hold on. She began to release him from her lips giving one last suck to the tip, like one would do to a lollipop. While her hand though had stayed and continued its massaging of his shaft until he eventually released.

She laid there for a moment, not expecting one to run in as Oghren did. She ducked down in an automatic reaction. Not wanting to dwarf to see her, it was one thing to hear what she was doing, but another to see her body.

Leliana looked back and forth between the door and Ander's as it was shut. A chuckle passed through her lips, as not even seconds later at his words spoken. "I think you've said maker about a hundred times tonight." She said, as she began shifting her body around to where she now laid facing him face to face. Her body still rested on his peacefully and happily on a job well done. She was about to close her eyes that was until she felt Ander's going at it again. Her body jerked from the sudden-ness and shock of it all over again. With her hands she reached over placing them in his mane of hair, wrapping his locks in between her fingers. Her moans didn't cease, as they now began filling the room. She could feel the pulsating of clitoris wanting more. Her hips shifted upwards, and she begun to she close her eyes as she panted out his name in broken words. "A-An-Ander..."

"A naughty Nightingale, aren't you?" Anders growled in a teased more-so, finding that his grin had broadened when she called out his name so quickly. His left hand moved towards sliding up Leliana's upper undergarments to reveal her breasts to him. "…Trying to conform me into a Loyalist when I haven't even had these."

It was surely a role-played line, and a bad one, but it was one he could make jokes with. That is –at least -if she was to tease him for all his calls to the Maker. The fingertips of his right hand dispersed small jolts of warmth and electricity; nothing to any stage that would do even the slightest of harm, but strictly for pulsating and a quickened pace of pleasure. He kissed at her breasts, suckling the first nipple available to him and gliding his left hand more down along her body.

It was… rather unfair to have been caught off guard like that; though Anders was in no position to complain. He was just not about to have his spent chance rob him from proving how much better it would be for other positions.

She had rolled back on top of him to continue grinding her hips against his own. Anders couldn't help but to have grinned and gave a small moan of approval when he felt her moving over him. This had caused his hands to shift from around her since they had been tossing and turning for while in the bed. As Leliana offered her lips to him in her kiss, he couldn't deny in his return to her. The yearning to have continued was causing his girth to reform. He was arching more against her by now and giving in to every lust filled touch she had tempted him with.

"Well, mages do have magic fingers." He teased, gripping her waist a bit more firmly.

From everywhere that his hands had roamed over her, Anders concentrated on his warmth to pulls through her body. Though, he didn't really give much of a warning upon slipping inside her completely. He knew she had been ready for him by now; and it was a little payback for starting him off early after so much foreplay. Reaching up, his arms slid towards her back, and in between sighs and small gasps, Anders was trailing his kisses from her mouth and down to her neck.

Her soft chuckle passed through her lips at his words which ended so quickly as she began to toss her head back into the pillows behind. She tried desperately to muffle her moans by placing her hand over her lips and biting onto her index finger. This was one sensation she had never felt before. Maybe she should have bedded a mage sooner if it always had felt this exciting. She thought.

"I think... Your trying to kill me." She joked as she watched him. Her emerald hues seemed to darken in the room, as they filled with desire. His touch was memorizing, the heat radiating from his fingertips sent erotic shivers racing up and down her spine. She wanted more of him, all of him. A small whimper hummed through her lips showing this.

Her arms finally dropped from her once concealed face, and with her hands she grasped underneath his shoulders as if to begin pulling him up towards her or her down towards him which ever came. When she readjusted herself, her body would right off being to grind against his nakedness. Her eyes locked onto his lips as one finger would trace over the lining of them. "I would have never thought an apostate would be so good in bed... And we've yet started." She joked, her eyes shifting up to gaze into his. Her arms reached out, one laid resting around his mid-section, and the other around his neck as the palm of her hand began to bring him into a warm kiss. Separating her lips, her tongue began to slowly sneak out of its prison to press against his lips. Gently forcing its way into his own mouth, if he allowed her to do so. Her coaxing tongue fighting against his own in a small short battle, followed by a slower motion. Her moist petals massaging deeply against his own tongue in a slow rhythmic motion.


	6. Chapter 6

Her eyes became glossy, in which made her close them in return. She wasn't expecting to feel him enter her just yet. She figured he would put up a harder fight. But he was a man, and every man had needs. She tried to fight back the sharp breath that tried desperately to escape her lips. But failed, as her cries out for him filled the room. "Oh, maker..."

She began spreading her slender legs further out on the sides of him, and with leaning forward, resting her bare chest to his she began to make slow, soft movements with her body. The feeling was like anything she felt. It was angelic to her. Her slow and teasing movements continued for a moment longer. That was until she couldn't handle it any longer, and she began picking up her grinding motion, increasing her speed to one she could hardly hang onto. She kept at this pacing as long as she could, through groans and moans filling her mind that then escaped her lips.

Reaching out she took one of his hands, grasping onto it and bringing it to her lips. She laid a small kiss upon the palm, and then trailed little quick kisses till she reached the tips of his fingers, kissing each one. She slowed her pace to a steady stop, and with a smile she released his hand for him to lay it where he wished. Her hands traveled down his sides, and with her legs she began tightening around his waist. Her body then began shifting to turn, in attempt now to pull him on top of her. For him to have control this time. Her small hands would clasp behind his neck, and her legs spread and wrapped around his waist as she lifted herself up to place a kiss on his lips. That trailed down his neck, and stopped near his shoulder as she softly bit into his shoulder teasingly.

He couldn't keep his back from arching with each movement that collided into him. It wasn't just her being in control for the most part, when he was on his back; he was adding participation to the act as well. She was so tight around him and the scent of sweat and sex was thick in the air. Anders hadn't realized how much he had missed any of this until he was actually involved. It was the feeling of being alive, and the reminder that he was just as human as those around him. And of liberation more than even the lust he was drowning into...

He whimpered some as Leliana had taken his hand and started to become a little more controlled with her movements. It was a sweet torture that kept him from crying out. He heard her voice playing a gentle melody he only hoped to remember the next morning. With his free hand he reached out to cup one of her breasts and watched the rise and fall of her breath.

When he was rolled over, and found himself on top, there wasn't many signals he would have needed to continue. In a way, he was a little grateful to have been given the control instead. His pace wasn't as slow, since from all he had learned –mostly from his life in the Circle—speed was more important. (Nobody wanted to get caught.) So, this act mostly came out of a force of habit. This was not a fault; though, for he also had learned to listen to the body; and holding back generally was something he was good at doing—when awake that is.

Anders hiked up one of Leliana's legs over his shoulder and continued to thrust into her a slightly faster pace than she had given to him. He was breathing hard and kissing her neck every fourth thrust in between.

Her whimpers of ecstasy filled the room. She knew in the back of her mind that the others in the tavern could probably hear her cries. She didn't care though. She wanted Anders ears to be filled with the pleasure he was putting fourth into her. She began arching her back once more, pressing her erect nipples to his chest as she attempted to gasp for more air to be brought into her lungs. Her arms traveled up his forearms and to his shoulders until her fingers had intertwined with his golden locks of hair. She gave a soft and gentle tug and through her broken, rattled breathing she lifted her head to latch her lips around his. Giving a kiss, ending by a soft suck to his pout lip.

When he tossed a leg over his shoulder, she couldn't help but feel helpless. Her body laid there motionless for a second, her hands clenching onto the soiled sheets from either the sweat or fluids of their own that seeped out of them. Her inner walls began tightening, she flinched her eyes shut if for a moment. Trying to stop what was going to come next. _No_. She whispered in her mind, as her head was thrown back to the pillows. "I don't know how much longer I will be able to hold on." She admitted her hand raising up, to cup the side of his features, a smile forming on her lips.

Again the same feeling surged through her body, causing her to take advantage of what time was left of this moment, and she began thrusting her hips along with his. (or as best she could) Determined to make this the best, for the both of them. It wasn't even moments later that her body had finally gave into the pleasure, a ray of warmth splashed over her body. Causing her body to freeze not able to move from her warm fluids filling inside her. At last a final moan with a slight whimper had ultimately forced out of her lips.

Anders had tilted his mouth more towards Leliana's hand when she reached up to touch his cheek. He kissed the palm without thinking much to it, other than enjoying every sound she gave for him. He could feel her starting to take more control towards her end. Her inner walls were tightening around him like a vice and his had started to buckle from it. Her stamina and determination were encourage-able but Anders hadn't really planned on allowing himself the comfort for a second time. This had meant to have been strictly for Leliana's pleasure, and that was how his lightly intoxication saw it.

However he was driving down into her a little too deep, rocking against the pleasurable hotspot, he knew all too well of acing upon; and the more he attempted of pulling farther back, the less it was achieved. The sounds of the bed were creaking, and the wooden legs were starting to sway. The mage hadn't really taken much consideration of how sturdy their current furniture was either. Suddenly, a loud crack was heard and the heavy feeling of gravity pulled the bed, Leliana, and Anders all downward. Anders only had the split second to release Leliana's leg in order to avoid an awkward injury—but it was accomplished.

But in that moment, the landing was too blissful, and due to the sudden surprise, Anders couldn't hold back anymore. He was plunged deep into her, climaxing so well that he couldn't think of the true cause. Anders had moaned low near her ear and braced his forehead against the pillow. For that moment, he just didn't want to move or think.

"Leliana…" He spoke after a while, a bit groggy. Tightening every muscle he had, and enjoying the small exquisite pleasure he had of being inside of her before slightly propping himself back up against his elbows to actually look down at her. His brown eyes were still a bit widened from the surprise and he looked back towards hers. "A-Are you alright?"

She hadn't taken much thought when the bed had seemed to be rocking as easily as it was. So when it had broke, causing the two to fall a frightened yelp escaped her lips. She swung her leg around Ander's to brace herself from any kind of fall, while shutting her eyes tightly which didn't last no more than a second as he had thrust deeper into her from the fall. Thus making a second wave of shivers to be sent through her body. Her frame began trembling against his own as she kept the silence between them while catching her breath.

She looked up to Ander's when he spoke her name, the same goosebumps still laid across her body. Making her cuddle in closer to him. Her arms wrapped around his torso. As she nudged her forehead into his chest as she took in his scent. "I'm fine." She responded, then she shook her head left to right for a moment. "No... I'm great." She laid a kiss upon his chest, then pulling back her eyes began to meet his again. "What about you?" She asked curiously as she began raising her hand up to him and with a single finger she tapped the tip of his nose playfully as a smirk began to play upon her lips. "I believe I got you twice?" She teased, in a finishing sentence to rise up two fingers wiggling them around playfully. "Err... But what are we going to do about this bed... And mess...? I'm sure some dwarf is going to kick your apostate ass." She said in a kidding tone, her hand rising up to caresses the side of his cheek.

"Oh, yes…I'm wonderful." He breathed, carrying probably the proudest smirk an apostate could after such an ordeal. Though he blinked some upon her question of how many times she had "got" him; which wasn't something he could deny, obviously. Still his eyebrows had lifted some playfully in return. "But you seduced me… Is that really one to be counted it?"

He carefully started to move out from Leliana by then, but remained to hover over her frame a bit longer. His knees and arms were surprisingly sore from the drop, but he was too tired to even pay attention to whichever parts that reprimanded his irrationally untamed behavior. Then again, with two grown adults on one smaller dwarven bed, what else could have been expected to happen?

Anders lightly kissed Leliana's lips before rolling away to the other side of the bed once her pondering questions were asked. "I don't think dwarves can kick that high."

"But 'we' are not going to worry about it because ultimately it will be on Stroud's tab. Not really Sigrun's or Oghren's… If anything, it would be a compliment and if Oghren's willing to steal bragging rights for breaking a bed—of which I'm sure he would be—then I say, let him." He continued and then turned his attention towards shaking the green blanket free from the dust, in order to pull it up towards himself and Leliana to tuck in for the night.

"We just have to sneak out in a few more hours and continue heading North underground. I would rather wish to avoid the remaining Grey Wardens here, anyway."

"Me... Seduce you?" She teased, sticking her tongue out just slightly in her tease as she gave a wink of her eye. "I would never do such a thing... After all did you really expect me to stop?" She asked curiously, as she took her two fingers and began walking them upon the bareness of his chest.

Flinching one of her eyes she started to begin to feel the length of him release from her. Making their one bodies become their own once more, she leaned into their kiss softly returning it. Once reopening her eyes she looked to the blanket, tucking it around her body after she found herself wrapping her arms around him in whichever way she could, followed by her legs tangling with his own, as she used him as her own little body heater.

She began to close her eyes, feeling herself drift off to sleep. But before she fell to her deep slumber she found herself muttering. "Great undergrounds usually means dark spawn." Yawning she nuzzled the tip of her nose into his chest as she had finally drifted off to sleep for the few hours that were given.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fluttering her eyes open Leliana had found herself stretching in Anders arms. She began to look around, feeling a bit woozy still from their activities earlier not to mention the few drinks they had. Taking a moment, Leliana began to snake out of Anders grasp (if he were holding her still) and begin to stand to her feet. With her nakedness trailing about the room, she walked back and forth gathering her belongings, organizing whose was whose and when that was settled she began getting dressed.

Looking over her shoulder, as she put her last gantlet on, Leliana let out a soft sigh followed by a giggle of some sorts. She picked up her pace once more as she skipped over to Ander's side and with a few feet separating the two she sat down in a kneeling position, as she sat there watching him sleep. She remembered him saying something about wanting to leave in a few hours. But she could tell just by the way he laid there that he was exhausted. So she decided to let him sleep. And she would watch over him. Even if it was for a little longer than her slumber.

Anders had been asleep, still lying on his side, but when Leliana had moved, he mumbled some in his sleep and started to roll more on to his stomach. The blanket rested low around his hips, revealing the large scabbed over wound from where Naomi Hawke had stabbed him. It was the only blemish he seemed to keep on his body; though it was uncertain of whether that was because he couldn't reach it from where it was—in order to have it healed—or for some emotional attachment. In either case, it was in plain view over his light peach skin.

He was having the nightmares thick in his sleep, but seemed peaceful at the moment. It was the darkspawn calling to him, and it was something Anders anticipated. He could only hope that Justice would be sensible and protect himself in order to reach the required destination. Because he knew where he needed to be, and so did Justice, if the spirit wished to continue his work.

There was a loud commotion in the hallway; a few footsteps marching and some bickering. From the sound of it, the owner of the tavern was complaining to the Grey Wardens for the commotion of last night, and insisted that the room should be checked on. Upon when the door to the room opened, its wooden frame nearly was thrown backwards. On the other side, stood a blonde Dalish elf with aquamarine eyes. She wore the same Grey Warden armor as the rest of them.

"I don't care if they're—" She started to shout at the dwarf from behind her—who seemed equally displeased at the broken bed. She looked towards Leliana and then to the man laying down in bed. She opened her mouth briefly and then started to close it when glancing back towards the dwarf. "These are not our people-"

"Velanna?" Anders yawned and started to rub his eyes. He looked up towards the direction of the voices, and sure enough, was the elven woman staring back at him like she had seen a ghost.

"Anders…?" She started to question and fisted her hands.

The mage in bed stretched a bit, trying to regain his barrings of all that happened last night, but wasn't given much time with certain company to address. He rubbed his eyes and started to sit up; hardly aware of his current non-attire.

"Long time, no see." He said and started to smile wirily. "How've you been?"

"'How've you been?' That's what I get?" She started to growl and unleashed a wave of ice near the foot of the bed.

Anders quickly tucked his legs away to avoid frostbite. It only took him a few seconds later to clutched the pillow to protect his unmentionables from being seen by strangers. His eyes widened in surprise and his smile was replaced back with worry.

"…Not well, I take it…" He started to say, but another wave of ice aimed for his head, causing Anders to duck. He had to dodge to the left side of the room just to keep Leliana out of the range of iceburgs, while Velanna started to chase after him.

"Get up, you good-for-nothing-sorry-excuse-of-a-shemlen!" She scowled with her arms stretched out to either freeze him or strangle him; Anders wasn't sure which. "What were you thinking? Is Justice in there too? Isn't he supposed to be the responsible one?"

"Not sure what you mean…" Anders laughed nervously and dodged a few more spells and ran out the door.

"Don't you lie to me! Get back here!" She scowled and started to chase him towards the tavern.

As Anders had shifted to his stomach she would being to reach out in a curious manner. Seeing the scar which laid there upon his back. Her fingertips outlined it if for a second feeling the raised spots as well as the soft indentations of scar tissue. Her mind went to wonder where and why this was here, since he was a healer she believed for it to be diminished if he so desired. Shaking her head she slowly slid her hand down his back as she heard the yelling of someone coming to their room. That slowly brought her to collect herself, bringing her hands fully to her sides and acting innocent as she could, as if she had been doing nothing.

When the door swung open, Leliana turned herself towards the way of the door. Looking to see who this intruder actually was. Her brows were brought together in a slight confusion as she over looked the elf that had walked in. Parting her lips she began to speak. "Can I-" But quickly she was cut off by the elf and Anders speaking to one another, then shifting to a slight argument, she attempted to part her lips again to speak. "Looks like you pissed her off Anders... What did you do to her?" She asked curiously finding out her curiosity wouldn't be answered.

The sudden changes of elements in the room made Leliana duck for cover at first. Watching as Anders ran about the room completely in the nude with just a pillow hiding things. Leliana slowly began sneaking off the broken bed and into a part of the room where she knew Anders wouldn't dart by, and where the elf wouldn't cast any spells her way.

Looking about the room she saw its emptiness. Immediately she looked around for Anders garments after she found them she ran to them, picking them up in her arms as she darted out the door and towards the direction of the tavern.

As she entered the tavern she began looking for Ander's and the elf. Surprisingly enough it wasn't hard to spot the two. Stepping forward as she did, she took a bold move and when the elf was in cool down moment of not being able to cast a spell, at least for a second she stepped in between the two. "Can someone tell me what's going on?" She asked curiously looking back and forth between the two, her arms had then extended out. Pushing Ander's clothes to his chest. She overlooked his nakedness and shook her head in disbelief. "Go get dressed Anders."

"Oh, no he doesn't! He's staying right here and he's going to start answering me." Velanna argued and pointed at him from behind Leliana. "Move one inch and I'll freeze off your nose! You got that?"

"Really, Velanna? Think of the rest of us!" Oghren called from his bar stool downstairs. He was laughing, and just about fallen out of his chair in the moment. There were just too many choices the ale-swilling dwarf could have said, but his laughter was soon drowning him out.

Anders was already starting to blush some and turned towards the hallway, pressing his backside to it and carefully trying to put on his bottom undergarments. He didn't care about exposing that much, just so long as the rest of himself below the belt was covered.

"You knew he was here?" Velanna asked, glancing over the railing quickly; but she didn't really expect much of an answer from the dwarf. So, her attention then turned back towards Leliana questionably. "And you. Who are you? Clearly another shemlen; that's true."

Anders turned his attention back towards getting dressed once he had at least the main important parts covered. "This is Leliana-"

"Ah, I see. You partner-in-crime. Is that it?" Velanna asked and started to fold her arms.

Of course Anders started to panic from this and dropped the pillow upon buckling his pants. "N-No! It's not like that! Look, she's just... It's different. That's all I can say."

"No! I want an explanation!" The elven woman snapped back quickly. "I think after what all of us have been through, we deserve that much!"

Leliana began to look over the railing herself, meeting her emerald hues with the dwarf. Immediately she felt a blush take over her features. She began remembering what Oghren said that night before along with what she and Anders all did to one another. She broke her eye contact with the dwarf, as his laughter filled the room, as she began fidgeting upon her fingertips.

Raising her hands in defense to the elf's words she began swaying them side to side. "I'm nothing but a traveler. Accompanying Anders here." But as soon as she was explaining herself to this elf she began to see Anders walk up. She shifted her head to the side listening to his words. Right off, her arms began folding over her chest as she arched a curious brow to him. "It's different?" She questioned in a soft tone of voice which could really only be heard if one was close enough to her. Letting out a sigh she wasn't going to let his words go too deep, after all it was just one night... Right? She wasn't and shouldn't have gotten her hopes up.

As the elf started up again, Leliana began waving a hand in front of the elf as to break them up... Again. Or her shouting fest towards him. "How about we be civil about this?" She asked curiously, her arms dropping to her sides as she used a hand to point to a free table. "We can sit down, or actually you guys can sit down. Act like adults and talk this out."

"Do you really expect him to be civil in anything?" She asked nearly flabbergasted at Leliana's suggestion.

Anders glanced to Leliana and then back to Velanna. "Hey, I'm here, aren't I?"

"And that's what I don't understand." She snapped back quickly. "Aren't you suppose to be dead? An arrow in the neck and burnt asunder?"

Anders shrugged some after a while, once he was dressed. "I'm alive—"

"Clearly." Velanna tilted her chin up high; her pointed and narrow features casted a shadow over the tattoos on her face.

"… But if that's the rumor going around, I'd prefer to keep it." Anders finished, but he seemed to keep himself planted behind Leliana, and for what believed to have been a rather good reason.

She sighed some and turned around to head down the stairs. Anders watched over Leliana's shoulder as if to make certain that she was walking away. Though the petite elf paused some from the bottom of the stairs and looked back up towards them. She raised her hands towards the identified table and chairs briefly to show where she was going.

"Well? Are you coming?" She asked sharply and then continued to walk.

Anders paused a moment, taking in a deep breath. He started to mumble low to himself; uncertain if he was going to be heard or not. "This… is not going to be pretty…."

Oghren saw that they were starting to gather at the assigned table and chairs, and he didn't want to feel left out by any means. So, he hopped from the barstool and rushed to his delight. He was use to "Twitchy-Velanna" by now, unlike Anders who had seemed to forget her high-strung nature. When they each got to the table; though, the elven woman kept her seemingly high position and glared up at the other fellow mage.

"Sit." She commanded; and rather quickly Anders complied, pulling out his chair and resting his arms on the table.

"Looks like someone got up in the wrong room." Oghren started to tease rather blatantly towards Velanna.

The elf quickly turned towards the dwarf and show that she was not amused. The very minute she opened her mouth, the heart of the issues were quickly addressed. "Are you aware that Anders is the man who blew the Chantry?"

"And so it begins…!" The blonde male piped to himself but remained staring at the table.

"Our Anders?" Oghren asked rather in disbelief while the mage seemed to have remained stiff at the time being.

"Starkhaven is hunting for Anders of the Anderfels. What other Anders is there?" Velanna asked as she pulled out her chair and started to sit down.

Oghren leaned back in his chair and shrugged. "Hey, you don't have to go there, alright? Do you realize how man 'Tuck's' and 'Grunt's' us dwarven people have in Orzamar? You'd think we'd run out of names or something."

A smirk began to make its appearance on her lips as she had let out a chuckle. "Well he was pretty civil last night." She replied chirpily to the elf when asked if she expected Anders to ever be civil.

Leliana began to shift her posture back when the elf had demanded the two to follow her. Causing Leliana to look back to Anders shrugging her shoulders in a defeated sense. Until she began walking fourth down the stairs and to the table the woman had chosen.

Upon sitting Leliana began fidgeting with her fingertips on the outlining of the wood of the table. She was glad Oghren had been teasing the elf instead of throwing nasty little joke comments her way instead. This brought a sigh of relief to her. The least she wanted was explaining herself to him of what happened the other night. After all it wasn't his business. She just hoped it stayed that way.

Reaching out Leliana grasped onto a glass of water that had been set their for them. Bringing it to her lips she began letting the cool fluids slide down her throat. Which hadn't lasted long, when she heard Anders had blown up the Chantry. A sputtering cough had forced its way out of her lips, in which had almost made her spit the fluids which were trapped in her mouth out and onto who ever sat in front of her. But thankfully she didn't do so, and with winching her eyes she forced a gulp. Clearly Leliana knew Anders had blown up the Chantry but she wasn't expecting someone to come out and say it as she did.

"Soo what do you suggest we do?" She finally spoke breaking her own silence. Her emerald hues had shifted downwards away from the group not wanting to make any kind of contact, thinking if she did they could read she was hiding something, that something being Anders was once captive and she was brave enough to free him. It was one thing she didn't need to or want to encounter with this woman.

Velanna looked towards Leliana and frowned some at the question. "It's complicated—"

"No, it's not." Anders quickly responded, staring down at the table. "And anyway, it's the past. What's done is done."

"H-How can you just sit there and act like your behavior has no consequences to the rest of us?" Velanna scowled and fisted her hands on the table. "It was one thing to flee Amaranthine and to fake your own death, but this …issue with the Chantry, it cannot remain overlooked."

"For the record, Justice and I returned to the village to heal what wounded we could before we left." Anders lifted his head and then looked slightly towards Oghren, who had seemed to remain quiet for the moment. "And we fled Amaranthine because we weren't given a better option. Alright? It was either, join the Wardens or rot. Not like the rest of you—"

"I was exiled from my clan!" Velanna cut him off quickly and pointed to the redheaded dwarf. "Oghren was shunned from his! You're far from the sole martyr you're claiming to be in any of this…. and last time I checked, Ferelden lands were never kind to desertions."

Anders folded his arms and looked away from her in that moment. The silence started to settle in once more until the sound of Oghren beginning to reach for his mug of ale.

"I don't see what the big deal is. So, he ran from the Wardens and blew up a building." The dwarf shrugged between gulps.

Velanna closed her eyes and tried to explain quietly. "Oghren, that building was filled with dozens of innocent men and women in service to who they believed was a holy entity."

"Oh…" He mumbled in return.

"Or something similar to that nature… But the fact remains, whether you wished it or not, you're a Grey Warden." The elven woman sighed and then looked back to Anders once more. "Grey Wardens were not supposed to get involved in political issues like those."

"So, your only problem to my actions was that it was a political issue? It doesn't seem to bother Oghren or Sigrun." Anders started to suggest but Oghren raised his hand momentarily.

"That's because I'm drunk three fourths of the time…?" Oghren excused himself briefly.

"Not only that," Velanna started to say, glancing from the dwarf and soon redirecting her discussion once more., "but because I'm a mage too, Anders… Or have you forgotten already?"

"Oh, believe me, I remember. My bum is still a bit frozen." Anders winced some and wiggled a little in his chair.

Velanna shook her head, still carrying her frown. "…I'm taking you in under custody."

"No!" Anders whining quickly had ceased, turning more to a look of shock that she'd even try to attempt it.

Oghren looked from them and then towards the elf. "Can we do that?"

"We have no choice. If it were up to Nathaniel or Stroud, he'd be dead already." Velanna answered, but hadn't seemed to have made any movements towards standing up yet.


	7. Chapter 7

Velanna had a point. Well one point out of all her disputing. That the Wardens weren't supposed to involved in politics. She remembered this all too well when traveling with the Warden in the past. "You may be right there…" She paused, as she placed her hands over each other and began to interlace her fingers. "But you have to admit he is human. And people make mistakes."

Shifting her eyes from the elf to Ander's, than Oghren, than back to elf again a sigh slipped pass her lips. She was really beginning to get fed up with all this crap of people wanting revenge for what Anders had done. Like he said and even Oghren said, it was in the past. There was nothing they could do now, but rebuild. There was no way to bring the people who died back, killing Anders wouldn't help. No matter what others thought. Ultimately she thought if the men had succeeded that night she found Anders, and they did kill him than they would have just gone killing other mages eventually... Maybe that's why she went searching with Starkhaven, in search for him but of underly reasons than their own. Everyone deserved a second chance… Didn't they?

Leliana didn't want to make a scene, especially in this tavern with so many people in a little area. She sat there for a moment longer, before shifting her cranium to the side looking to Anders. She had no clue how to save him this time. That was without hurting anyone. And the least she wanted to do was go against a Grey Warden of all things. Than her name would truly be un-savable. But she still she wasn't going to allow this. She refused to let her take him to his death, torture, or whatever they wished to do to him. "I can't let you do that." She spoke towards Velanna, her orbs still fixated upon Anders for a moment until she began shifting her head again and with that she locked her eyes on the elf. She expected a fight, an argument. Which she was all too ready for.

"I may not follow the exact religion of the Shemlin culture, but I am aware that a BOMB killing over 48 virgin Brother and Sister servants, four Holy Mothers, and one Grand Cleric to the Maker is not a mistake, its blatant murder!" Velanna blinked for a moment, as if she wasn't certain if she had heard Leliana correctly. Her neck stiffened a bit and quickly her retort prepared its strike.

"I am sorry for you, but it's not your decision. By the Right of Transcription, Anders was recruited into the Grey Wardens. He was never given a discharge, he disobeyed direct orders from his higher officials, and dishonored a unified Front by desertion and breaking our code of ethics. Because of all this, he is still representing the Grey Wardens, and his latest crimes certainly cannot go unpunished without trial."

"Now, who's turning this into a political issue?" Anders groaned some and reached up to rest his hand against his cheek.

"You made this slaughter our problem." Velanna snapped at him and pointed in his direction quickly. "Ever since then, the Templar Order of Orlais have reported two Circles attempting to revolt—"

"Hooray!" Anders cheered carelessly in between Velanna's constant verbal assault.

The elven woman glared at him briefly before continuing. "We're going to have to handle it the most peaceful way we know how. That means removing you from the surface of the problem."

"He's still going to be given a fighting chance in Court isn't he?" Oghren asked Velanna and nudged his head over towards Anders as he continued. "I mean, I've seen a couple of those cases go down; and good ol' Soprano-Singer, here, is still our best bud! We can't just throw him out into the Legion of the Dead on his own."

Anders cleared his throat a little; ignoring the new name for now. "Yes, I'd very much, like to avoid the whole darkspawn verses Legion of the Dead thing, thank you."

Velanna paused for a moment and then sighed before speaking again. "Anders… I need you to talk to me about Justice."

"Funny concept, justice—"

"You know what I mean." Velanna said and interlocked her fingers together underneath her chin. "Where is he?"

Anders paused for the moment, closing his eyes and at last moving to place his hands on the table across from Valenna and Oghren. He was dreading having to have this conversation, but it wasn't like he hadn't had to confess to this situation before.

"He is here." The male mage spoke softly, and slightly more serious than he previously was. His brown eyes opened once more and he looked towards the elven woman carefully. "He is … aware… of everything around me. He hears you, but he does not agree with your ultimatum; just as I do not agree with it."

"I thought you said he was dead-…well dead-dead." Oghren looked to him puzzled.

"I lied." Anders retorted back with a glance.

Within that moment, Anders's hands instantly frosted over with the evidence of ice. He used the blizzard ice spell to quickly cover over Velanna and Oghren. The two Grey Wardens struggled to get free, but the ice spell was too powerful, and practically gluing them to the chairs. Anders abruptly stood up from his chair and reached over to take Oghren's drink from his hand.

"Wh-What's the big idea here, you over-grown chicken?" Oghren responded in a slight scowl, though it was driven more from surprise.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my friend." Anders gave him a sad smile and tilted the tankard up to Ogrhen's lips to at least leave him a final sip of ale to keep him warm. "But the best-case scenario out of this is me in shackles, and you know I don't look good in gaudy jewelry."

"By the Creators!" Velanna started to seethe and near her hands, the ice had started to melt rapidly.

Anders's eyes sparked momentarily upon seeing the fire spells that the elven woman was trying to conjure and in one quick turned-around swoop, he moved to slam his left hand over the top of her head. His fingers sparked with electricity, but only enough to have grasped her attention; like a static-shock.

"Don't move!" His voice boomed slightly louder than the music that was playing in the background.

He watched as Velanna jumped, a little frightened, and looked at Leliana from across the way before making a few scared glances back towards him. Anders could only give that intimidating glare but it was suppressed by an obviously guilty smile. His skin was flashing in small flickers as if the threat of Justice was near.

"You… You don't want me to hurt you, do you?" Anders said while trying to keep himself composed. "No, of course not, and I don't want to hurt you… But I will if you force me. You understand?"

"Y-Yes. Yes, of course." Velanna almost hiccupped from the fear of being electrocuted.

"Good." Anders nodded and then looked towards the door, wetting his lips some and then back towards Leliana as he continued to speak the elven woman.

"You see that woman in front of you? You tell Stroud, …Nathaniel, … and anyone else in his crew trying to hunt me down, that I have a Lay Sister for a hostage. Nothing new, right? Now… Me and her, are going to walk out of here, and you're going to give us to the count of eighty before you start to move from that sodding chair. If you move from that spot, I will fry your brain. If either you or Oghren move out of the building before your time is up, I will burn everything within—and believe me, Velanna, I can count that high."

"Not all of them were virgins." Leliana muttered under her breath which could only be heard if someone listened carefully to her. She knew all too well about everyone in Chantry's. And just as she, no one was so pure as everyone claimed them to be. Though this was no reason for them to die, just as the elf was saying.

Leliana rolled her eyes at Velanna's words. What happened next she wasn't expecting. She watched in a stocked state of mind as Anders began freezing the two in place. Of course this had brought attention from other patrons towards them. But Leliana had no concern for them but more of Velanna and Oghren. "Anders…?" She whispered out, in a questionable tone. Not completely sure how to react to his actions. But it wasn't until Velanna looked to Leliana as helpless as she did that she began to step forward.

Her arm had reached out in that moment, and she began to rest her palm against Anders forearm. She felt the small current of electricity surging through his hand as she shook her head in a left and right motion, trying to pull away his attention from Velanna and eventually too her side. "Come on Anders…" Pausing for a moment she had took no thought to his past words of her being held hostage. She knew the truth, and that's all that truly mattered to her.

As she began to lead Anders to the door, she glanced back to Oghren and gave a half smile and a wave of her hand to him. "See you around buddy, I'm sure Velanna will help you out of that frozen mess once we're gone." Looking ahead, she continued fourth and began to make her way out of the tavern and onward.

A silentness came over her as she exited the tavern, followed by a long awaited sigh. Leaning against the framing of the closed door behind her, she took no time to look over to Anders, releasing his hand and with her now free hand, she held it out before her as if asking him to lead the way. "Let's go…"

Back in the tavern, far in the back corner where shadows had casted over a small group of people a woman's smirk could only be seen in the flickering light of the nearby fire. One of her fellow apprentices sat nearby, noticing she had been watching the whole event that was going on between Anders, Velanna, Oghren and Leliana. The male had finally spoken out to his lady. "I take it you know her?"

The brunette nodded "Yes. That was my pretty little flower once."

"Flower...? Once?" Questioned the male.

"Oh never mind." She stated waving her hand. Her eyes had never left the door Leliana had exited.

"Looks like you two have some unfinished business."

She nodded in a yes response to the man beside her. Than began shifting her orbs over to him. "I think we should follow them… See where there headed. Maybe have a—"

"Discussion." The male interrupted, finishing her sentence for her. Even though the both of them knew clearly what their true intentions were.

"Yes. It would do me some good, and maybe even her to see little ol' me again."

Anders remained to have been high-strung. At any moment, from nearly anywhere, one of the other Grey Wardens could have approached them; even when they were leaving the building. Then, upon taking the lead and darting through the dwarven city, his repercussions had hit him like a ton of bricks. That was Oghren and Vellanna he just threatened! They were practically the closest of his friends he had made in the Grey Wardens; sure Oghren picked on him a lot and Velanna kept him in line, but that was no reason for his death threats. Was it?

"Maker…! What did I just do?—She gave me no choice.—I hate mages like her!" And just like, in a quick fit of a few tears and final scowl, he was visually over it.

It would have been a lot worse if Justice truly did break free in that moment, and (whether intentional—or known—or not) Velanna was obviously starting to anger him. Anders couldn't afford to be angry anymore. He couldn't afford to lose control anymore. Justice was difficult to control and he doesn't believe in mercy for anyone or anything that stood in his way. So, Anders had to react that way, because if he panicked and lost all control, surely it would have been much—much worse.

"We have to keep moving." He started to say; as if to encourage himself more other than to really ensure Leliana that he was still safe to be around.

Don't think about it. Thinking about it brings guilt and we have no time for guilt.

Pressing North meant scouring the tunnels though. As long as they steered clear from the main roads that lead towards the darkspawn and the Legion of the Dead, he believed they would have been alright. The roads were cavernous and hollow; much like the constant paths that the dwarves normally built. Anders could only guess that they wouldn't have much of a problem from the Grey Wardens, since they hopefully would have been too busy fighting off darkspawn from the other tunnels east of their direction. Perhaps word to Stroud of him being down there hasn't even made it yet.

Looking to Anders Leliana had let out a sigh. She had seen his anger which turned almost immediately into sadness. This had made her want to reach out and comfort him. But she knew they hadn't much time. And that they needed to push forward if neither of them wanted to get caught. "It's alright Anders… I'm sure they'll understand to some degree." She replied, a half smile appearing upon her lips. As her hand reached out and was placed on his shoulder in a form of short comfort.

As they went forward and to the tunnels, the deeper they went in the more the darkness had seemed to surround them. It was quiet, too quiet for her taste. Looking around curiously, Leliana had locked her eyes to the frame of Anders almost about to break their silence between one another. That was until she heard a small crack from behind her. "You hear that?" She asked curiously. Her frame turning around to where now her back was to Anders and her gaze was in the direction of where the once entrance of the cave was. Her eyes scanned the area. Her pace hadn't stopped, wanting to be able to keep up with Anders and not to waste time either.

She began thinking she was just being paranoid. And shrugging her shoulders she began turning to walk normally once again. As she did she began to see a flash of something coming straight towards her. The object was moving to fast for her eyes to focus on. She attempted to dodge it, and just in time too. As a few strands of her crimson hair were sliced away from this. She watched as the few hair strays fell to the ground, and it wasn't until a pinging sound of an arrow impaling into the inner of the stone cave made her realized she was shot at by an arrow. "What the—"

"Looks like you still have your reflexes." Voiced a familiar tone, that strolled closer to the two. Her weapon now dropping now that she had gotten her attention.

Leliana squinted her eyes, taking a step forward. It wasn't until a figure walked from out of the shadows and into the light that she muttered her name. "Marjolaine!?... I thought you were de—"

"Dead?" She finished. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"What are you doing here?" She began to question, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Watching over you of course. And it seems as if you've been having fun since our terrible separation."

Leliana shifted back in shock of her words. "Just how long have you've been watching me?"

"Long enough."

Furrowing her brows, she began to turn her back to Marjolaine as if to walk away; she had heard enough and being around Marjolaine always brought the worse out in her. But before she could start walking even a foot, Marjolaine commanded her apprentice to halt them. In which, a blazing fire bomb had erupted near her feet stopping her in her tracks. "Will you stop that!" She demanded, looking over to see a male walking up to Marjolaines's side. The same fire spell that was casted in front of her, was still emitting in the palm of his hand, awaiting another attack to be thrown on his masters command. "Great you got a new toy…"

All Marjolaine could do in return was smirk at her once well beloved Bard. "Yes. And it looks like you have one as well." She replied, shifting her head in a motion towards Anders. "I hope you told him about you, us… Your past?"

"Irrelevant." She replied to her speaking of her past. "There's no need for him to know. And he's not my toy. I'm not like you Marjolaine."

"Oh but I think you are… I wonder what he would do if he had learned of your past doings… Would he still be so eager to have you by his side I wonder."

"Wait. So there are more secrets the Divine hide under her petticoats? Why am I not surprised?" Anders questioned more from the sharp wit rather than anything serious. For all he really knew was that Leliana was Sister Nightingale, and he was slowly coming to realize that she also fought alongside the same Hero of Ferelden that he knew.

He then turned slightly, looking towards the other mage who happened to have been wielding fire still in his hands. "And where are these mage-on-mage hate crimes coming from? Seriously. You could fry someone's hair off doing that, you know."

Anders raised his hand towards his forehead briefly and the spell of rock armor formed quickly over himself and Leliana. He was spooked enough as it was with fire and arrows being thrown in their directions. He then looked towards Marjolaine carefully.

"I'm warning you." He started to speak. "You're stalling me from reaching Tevinter, and I'm an impatient man. Make your peace or stay out of my way."

"I know what you're trying to do…" Leliana replied shifting her eyes away. "Whenever you see me with someone else besides you, you start to get jealous. And want to rid that person of my life. You tried it with the Warden, and it didn't work. And it won't work this time."

"Whatever happened to that Warden?" She asked snide tone of voice.

"He left… To fin—"

Without finishing her answer Marjolaine so happened to jump in "See he left you… What makes this one different?"

Leliana had shifted her cranium to look to Anders, Marjolaine's words were not true that was for sure. But she couldn't help but get angered with each word she said. When would she stop… Ever? The only way it seemed to be putting an end to this was doing what she never wanted to do. "We need to leave Marjolaine, I suggest you go back in your shadows. Leave me be."

"What fun would that be?" Stepping forward she had made her way over to Leliana and stood no more than a few feet away, she began to reach out. The back of her hand making a slow motion towards her cheek. Leliana didn't hesitate as she slapped away her hand. A scowled look had smeared across Marjolaine's face as she then looked to Anders "I promise it won't take long. After all it's a short story after all." She replied to Anders with a pause, taking a breath in. "You see Leliana is a traitor. This is why you shouldn't trust her."

"You mean you're the traitor." Leliana muttered her way.

"Now, now Leliana did you forget what you did?"

Leliana shifted her hues away at Marjolaine's words not saying another word. Obviously Marjolaine had this power over her that she could never overcome.

"She use to be my little spy. Planting and then gathering evidence. One day the poor thing so happened to betray me. Looking at documents she had no purpose with and making it her business. Now do you really think you can trust someone like her. Someone that would to go behind another's back?"

"But since you two are such on a tight schedule I will leave you." Her brown eyes shifted back to Leliana. "Just remember to watch your back with this one mage. I wouldn't protect her forever… She'll just turn on you like she had me. Just a friendly warning." She said with a fake smile, and turned back towards the exit, gesturing the apprentice of hers to follow. A soft rumbling chuckle spilled out of her lips to echo just slightly through the walls of the cave as she disappeared out of their sight.

Leliana watched as she walked away, wanting to stop her. Just too finally put an end to her. But she hadn't done so. She turned herself and began walking the opposite direction. "Come on, we've spent too much time here if we dilly dally any longer I'm sure someone else is bound to find us."

Anders watched carefully, making sure that they had left before finally turning to listen to Leliana's request. His eyes watched her, studying her for a bit as he continued to walk onward. He wasn't certain if he was really in the place to question anything of her past though. Anders had seemed to be a bit more curious about Marjolaine though.

Why would someone go so far out of their way—obviously—to give only a warning like that? It didn't really make sense to him. Not unless Marjolaine had been working for the Divine now as well; and there was no indication from her of such. The only subtle thing Anders could conclude was that she was an Orlesian and they were currently in a spiraling war against Ferelden ever since their Emperor's death. It was just more political stuff that Anders wished he hadn't paid attention to, in the past. The only thing he wanted to be concerned over was the mage struggle.

The dig took three weeks of little rest and fighting mostly spiders and old spirits. Things that awakened Justice occasionally, but his moments of being controlled were brief and focused on fighting. They found an exit finally, after sneaking past another army of the Legion of the Dead. Dwarves normally didn't ask too many questions when a Grey Warden addressed himself. Reaching the top surface of the cave, Anders had turned and started to pull Leliana out with him.

Finally. The border line was crossed. Anders was free… In a sense. He wouldn't have to worry nearly half as much about people hunting him down in these lands. The mage had never felt more at ease to have seen the sun again. He walked over towards a tree that had a creek running nearby. He sat down to the ground and started to wash his face from the soil and dried blood.

"At last… I was starting to feel like a worm." Anders sighted and started to drink the water after checking to make sure it was fresh.

Leliana had wanted to let Ander's know of her past. But the unfortunate circumstances and given time they were given to get out of harm's way gave her little to no time to do so. She just had to hope that the person from her past that seemed to keep coming back to haunt her every time she turned around hadn't gotten under his skin and made him believe in such lies she was trying to plant.

Upon exiting the cave Leliana had reached out to block the rays of the sun. As she was no longer use to the rays that were shining brightly in the sapphire sky, she forced herself to look up to the clouds that floated carelessly on their way. Looking down, she had watched as Anders walked to the nearby stream. Following slowly behind she found herself stopped under the shades of a tree was giving. A breeze ruffled her crimson locks, as she smiled and began leaning back into the trees trunk. Finally maybe they could relax… Maybe.

"You were feeling like a worm?" She asked chuckling. "Here I thought traveling with the warden was difficult. After that cave adventure through dirt, grime, and ickyness I need a bath that will probably take a week to get myself completely clean." She joked.

Looking down to her feet, she began pointing the tip of her foot in the ground, twirling her heel around a moment. "About Marjolaine…" She said parting her lips for a moment. "I guess I should explain myself right?" Sighing she began pushing herself forward again until she stood near Anders and sat down her emerald orbs fixated upon the ripples of the flowing water.

"She was my mentor… Someone who took me in when no one else would… She taught me everything I know, and more. I became her spy thinking I could do nothing else at the time. But what she says is all lies, you can't believe a word that woman says. There were documents I was to place on this man, but as I doing so I saw the Orlesain mark upon them, and knew she was up to something. So I tried to stop her. Thus Marjolaine framed me by changing the documents and turning them in to Orlesian authority, making me out to be the bad guy… That's why I came to Ferelden, to Lothering… To escape it all, and from there I ran into the Warden…" She paused shaking her head, her hand reaching out as her fingers ran in the streams water. "And eventually found you."

He listened while washing his face and drinking from the stream. Anders wasn't certain if he believed everything that Leliana had to say. There had to be truth to it; but his mind was still busy wrapped around Marjolaine's reasons for even being in the dwarven tavern. Was she waiting for him to have been chase down that far into the tunnels? No… That couldn't have made much sense. Surely, Anders was paranoid into thinking it, but he couldn't help it.

"You conveniently left out the part about the chantry or Justina VI." He spoke after a while and sat back against his ankles. "I'm sorry…. I don't know why I'm snipping away like that. I shouldn't be high-strung now that we're finally in Tevinter lands…"

He looked around and started to stand up in the forest. "This is Solas… If we keep heading north, we'll reach the water… Now, all I have to decide is to follow the shore line to sail to Minrathous."

Leliana gave Ander's an arch of her brow as he snapped towards her. And once he began to aplogize she raised her hands waving them side to side, showing it was okay. She understood he had been on edge. And they just had gotten free of any danger. "About the Chantry... They don't matter. Not anymore. I don't see myself going back to them ever again. Even if I wanted to I doubt they would take me back." This obviously didn't bother her. After all her life was on a whole different track than what it was when she escaped Marjolaine, and had finished her adventures to save the lands with the Warden.

With her wettened hand, she began cleaning her own face, from any debris that laid there. As well to wake herself up. She let her hand drop back into the water, to playfully splash water his way. "Don't be so serious, it might kill you if you're not careful. Then what would I do without my favorite mage?"

Snatching her water pouch from her belt she leaned in towards the flowing water to fill it. Once filled she tossed to towards Anders and began filling another for herself. "Well if you're not too afraid of me now, thinking I'm gonna shank you in the night. Then I will continue to follow you, and help you." Her eyes averted from him, and she stood to her feet after she had readied hereself and her supplies. "So... What say you mister apostate?" She joked shaking her finger to him.


	8. Chapter 8

Upon entering the city Leliana of course was first drawn to the way things had been here. She wasn't too sure about the people or the slaves for that matter. Attempting to keep to herself was difficult since she was always a chatty box. But so far she had done her best. She followed Anders to the hotel they would be staying at and eventually spent most of her time there. She wasn't fond of seeing people used as Slaves just like she hadn't liked it when refugees were treated the way they were in Lothering. But she was just one person, and she wasn't of these lands so her say didn't matter.

Leliana had found herself resting in the hotels room. Soaking in the tub, wiggling her toes as they surfaced above the water. Her face was half-way emerged into the water, as she glanced around her surroundings. She was debating if it was a good idea to come here after all. Sure she enjoyed being around Anders but she was really starting to get annoyed with him. He hadn't spoken yet of their night they spent together, and of course this irked her in more ways then one. As she began sitting up to where her face was no longer in the waters, she parted her lips to call out to him. "Anders! Help!" Okay so that was more than a call out, that was a prank. But still it might of grabbed his attention more quickly if he were there.

Anders decided to have been the gentleman and let Leliana have her bath before him. She hadn't really been in there too long before her calling reached the mage's ears. He turned from the window of the room, and ran towards the bathroom; bursting the door open.

"Leliana?" He started to ask and looked down at the tub in a growing fear. He didn't know what had happened, but she looked to have been knocked out; from how her head was rather near the water level. He hadn't really even noticed or hesitated over the fact that she was nude. He had seen nakedness before; and even her nakedness recently before. So, he was quick to snatch her shoulders up from the water and started to check her head for any injuries.

"Leliana, what happened? Are you alright?" He questioned, though uncertain to what dangers may lurk within in the tavern. For all he knew, it was a spirit of sorts.

Leliana had looked to Anders and smiled a childishly wide grin before speaking out in a small whisper. "Got cha." She knew he would probably be furious as most men would be, but she couldn't help herself. She then took his hands in her own and slid them off her shoulders as she began to stand up in all her nakedness. Now clean she had no reason being in there anymore. With her body dripping she began to climb out of the tub and steeped forward. She hadn't reached for a towel or something to cover herself with at that moment since Anders was in the way of her path. So to hold some of the heat from the bath she crossed her arms over her bare breasts.

"You know you're a big jerk right..." She began to state, her tone was serious as she could possibly make it. "Do you even remember what happened a few weeks ago back in that tavern or am I the only one with a memory." She asked, her index finger poking to his temple. "I mean whats a girl to do? You can't expect me not to ignore it, or not even get the slightest of feelings for you from all this traveling and then us having that night together. I'm not no one night stand or someone you can just come to whenever you need to release you know." Letting out a sigh she averted her eyes from him knowing she was on a rant but she wasn't going to keep this in forever, who could? "So you need some explaining to do mister... Its overdue."

When Leliana had grinned and whispered her words, it took Anders a moment to realize of what she meant. Of course by then the panic was late. Anders spazzed, but not too much since Leliana was using his arms to help herself out of the tub.

"Nyah! You can't do that around me, ya know…? I'll start breathing excises into you, and I've got cheese breath." He urged and started to llok all over the room except on her. His blush started to creep along his cheeks as he spoke again. "Besides, there's no telling who or what could be lurking in these walls…"

It wasn't something to really give comfort, and wasn't meant to, since he was the paranoid type. Anders glanced back towards her briefly for a couple of times before getting redder. He didn't realize she was waiting for a towel until she started o speak again. So, while she was talking Anders turned and grabbed the towel from the counter and unwraveled it to blindly wrap around Leliana's form. It was only a few seconds later upon doing this, had her words really even sunk in.

"Wait. You started calling for help so you could talk about the dre—" Anders started to question but soon caught himself and shook his head vigorously. "Okay, wait. That's not going to come out right… But we were drinking… and I think you came onto me first..."

"I wouldn't mind any breathing excises." She teased which hadn't lasted long as he had gone of with his words of her coming onto him. Sure... She did, but he was his own person. Drunk or not he still could of stopped her... Maybe...?

Tightening the towel around her, she reached up pressing her palm against his shoulder to give him a small and gentle push so she could walk past. But before she could make it to the room where her clothes laid she wistfully turned around. "It doesn't matter who came onto who we still remember, and you've said nothing ever since."

After she had dried herself, she tossed the towel aside, not caring to show her body to him since for one she wasn't ashamed of her body and two she was getting more furious with the mage by the second. "So that's how it is then...?" She muttered. Reaching down she began picking up an extra under garment to pull over head now covering her body once more. Once dressed she made her way over to the empty bed and sat on the edge. "Don't get me wrong Anders. I didn't mean to get these feelings for you... But I did." She admitted, her tone was almost as low as a mouse. She didn't want to be the one confessing. But she did. Her eyes averted away from him, not wanting to see what his next expression may have been. Surprised, anger, scared or a combination? Whatever it was she wasn't sure how he would take her expressing her feelings towards him.

Anders looked away, a bit confused when Leliana pinned a blame on him that he couldn't argue from. This ended up causing for him to turn back around and follow her; though he stopped at the doorway and kept his eyes averted more towards the bed.

"Well what was I suppose to say? Recalling it is even fuzzy to me… Tell me when I had the time—between Velanna trying to freeze my naked form and cutting off spider heads?" He paused and then looked up briefly towards her. "…Did Oghren barge in at some point…?"

Of course none of his questions were answered because the root of the discussion was unearthed. Being able to look at her once she was dressed, Anders listened to Leliana's confession, and he felt it like a knot twisting inside of him. There were many emotions he had to conceal, all at once, because he had to be careful. After a moment of silence, he let out a sigh and leaned more against the doorframe.

"Maker's breath… It is my fault." Anders spoke out loud, but it was more to himself, before glancing away and then looking back to her again.

"Leliana, this… is not the life you want. No woman wants to love an apostate. There is no security; no peace-in-mind… And in my case, it would be even more dangerous because, I am an apostate who is possessed. You know this. You've heard it; seen it…"

He folded his arms some and started to frown. "And Justice is more than aware of you. Do you understand that type of danger? Sometimes, I have blanks in memory when he is in control. Other times when he comes out, it's like I'm watching what happens through someone else's eyes… I have to struggle constantly when angered, just to keep him docile. I begin to question who I am; if I'm in control of myself or if he is…"

Okay so Anders had a point. There wasn't much room for speaking that much was true. But they were here now, and Anders hadn't had to look over his shoulder every second so now was a better time than any. Leliana sat there a moment long as she tucked her knees into her chest, and had to begun to wrap her arms around her knees. Letting out a sigh she nodded to his odd questioning about Oghren walking in on them that one night. "You pushed him back with a spell I believe." She replied, her hues fixated upon the wooden floor as she began to recall that hazy memory.

Finally she looked over to Anders as he began to blame himself for this. She began shaking her head just slightly as it rested on her knees. "It's not." She started to speak out, her legs dropping off the edge of the bed once more, and she began to stand up walking over to Anders to now stand in front of him.

"We can't choose who we fall for Anders. Even if I could I'm not sure I would choose anyone else but you. Apostate or not." Her hand reached up placing it against his chest where his heart had laid. "You have a gentle heart Anders, and I know you try and hide it. But I can see the truth as clear as day." Taking a moment Leliana had stared into Anders chest then began to finally shift her emerald hues upwards to meet his brown ones. "Sometimes when I look at you I can't believe your real. That... Maybe even this isn't truly real? But it is." She shifted her head to the side, the palm of her hand pressed against his cheek, her fingertips gently gliding across his facial features.

Dropping her hand Leliana had begun listening to his words. Again he was speaking of Justice. She knew he hadn't always had control, and that he was probably even afraid to get too close to someone. Afraid of hurting that person. "Anders…" She whispered. "I do understand the danger… I also understand that Justice is not one to mess with. But I trust you. I know you probably think I'm crazy in saying that, but I would be lying if I said anything different."

"You place a lot of risk in trusting me… It's not like I haven't been down this road before." Anders spoke softer when she came closer towards him. "Naomi was the first to test in loving this form… But I can only be who I am, a possessed monstrosity, and nothing can change that. This softness you see in me; there's not much of it left and in time it will fade. She saw this… That there was no turning back from what was done, so I only ended up hurting her, just as I will end up doing to you."

He paused for a moment and looked back up towards her. "Know this now. My mission is far too important for any distractions. Although, for what it's worth… I am sorry I seemed to have lead on any indication…"

Anders paused again and looked towards the tub. He felt that if he continued to bath; motioning towards it, he started to inch behind the door. "I'd… better take my bath now… Give you time to think things over if you need to. If you've left, then I'll understand. If not, then I'll just assume of your wish to continue traveling with me."

Leliana had crossed her arms over her chest at Anders words. She wasn't too sure what to say at that moment when he mentioned he needed no distractions. This of course tore at her heart strings causing her to shift her back towards him and look to the ceiling, and eventually closing her eyes.

"Anders…" She muttered under her breath, allowing a short sigh to escape her lips seconds later. "Wait." Turning around she began to make her way towards the mage, and stopping mere inches from him she began to lean in towards him. As she leaned in she acted as if she were going to place her lips against his, stopping probably centimeters away from his lips. She slowly closed her eyes until they were just slightly opened to where all she saw as she looked up to him was the tub behind. A smirk had begun to play upon her lips at that moment as she stepped back and pressed her hands to his shoulders giving him a forcible push towards the bath behind. But as she did so she hadn't noticed the spilled water on the floorboard, and as she shoved the mage she found herself slipping and as well falling face forward into the tub, and straight towards Anders.

A unexpected scream escaped her lips as she fell, and upon reopening her eyes she would look to Anders then to herself completely drenched once more. She dropped her head in disbelief, and would begin to stand to her feet. "Looks like that back fired…" She began to whisper under her breath before looking back to Anders as she tried to reign out her only garment she was wearing at that moment, her single over-sized undershirt. "But don't think your getting rid of me that easily you evil little apostate you." She joked, waving her finger at him. "Where would I go anyways if I left? Not much left for me anywhere anyways. At least anything exciting. So right now my best bet is to stay by your side."

As Leliana had started to inch close towards him, Anders felt his heartbeat racing again. He didn't expect a possible kiss, no more than he expected the shove—which was really what came instead. Even when Leliana had started to fall as well, Anders had panicked, grasping her shoulders for some sort of vain protection. The water had splashed out from the edges of the tub and crashed against the floor. After hitting his right shoulder against the porcelain, he was quickly reminded from his backside of certain injuries he failed to ever heal.

"A-ah!" He winced and looked up at the ceiling; feeling his humor repercussion from the damage. "I would have settled for the first option… or a slap… Guess, this means, I'll be borrowing your clothes."

Anders had felt her body pressed close against him just before Leliana's recoil to the surface. It was a good thing too, since her close contact in combination from the warmth of the bath water did stir a few unneeded feelings of lust back into him. He watched her, listening partially to her reassurance of staying by his side; but mostly, he was just drawn in to how she was ringing out her shirt. After a the moment, though, Anders was reminded of his current situation, and that such ogling was wrong by all standards—especially in that moment. The mage recoiled his knees up momentarily in order to help himself sit up in the tub.

"…If you think so… I'm sorry for what I said, earlier. I didn't mean for it to sound… that way. But, I'll see you when I'm out in a bit then." He confirmed with a stiff nod and stared back at the water.

Once Anders had piece to himself, he was able to relax in the bath more. It took him a moment to remember that he was still wearing his clothes. Then again, he needed to wash them too. It was a move that was just as well needed, so he turned his attention to that. His thoughts were still plagued of Leliana even after she had given him a bit of peace. Then came the reprimanding of Justice's thoughts arguing with his own. There was such a mess in his head.

After getting clean and having his clothes cleaned and dry with the aid of magic, Anders had still felt his guilt eat at him. He decided to offer his time to Leliana at one of the restaurants nearby. From the time they sat down at the table in the building, Anders had noticed from a table over that there was a woman there who looked familiar to him.

She was another blonde and her eyes were blue; which made him think a little of Naomi in some cases, but obviously different. Her frame was smaller, even more frail, it seemed to a first appearance. The woman was dressed in a white wedding dress and sitting across from a man wearing what looked to have been some form of a traditional black robe.

"…That's ..odd." Anders started to speak towards Leliana and pointed in there direction. This was because, he had never seen a mage in a wedding dress before—nor what a marriage would be like for mages. "Do they allow that here…?"

The woman looked towards them at a glance, and quickly beamed upon seeing the fellow mage. "Anders?"

Quickly, Anders had panicked and picked up his menu to hide his face. "Crap."

Looking to the menu, Leliana's orbs scanned the menu before her. She hadn't bothered to look up until Anders had spoken to her. She saw the questionable look upon his face, thus making the rouge herself to shift her cranium to the side in a questionable manner. She then followed in the direction of which Anders was pointing and saw two people, a happy couple. Leliana beamed with a wide smile as she had always loved weddings, not only for their joining of couples but of the amazing attire everyone wore during the event.

"Maybe. Or possibly they are just dressing up." She joked more so towards the end of her reply to Anders. She hadn't expected someone from this far to know of Anders so when the woman had walked up and spoke his name a widened eyed expression covered her face if for moments time. She tried to ignore the woman before them, taking a visual memory of her beforehand of course. "See Anders you shouldn't point at people… It's not polite… You get people from all over the place talking to you then." Leliana then took a second look to the woman besides their table and smiled. Without looking to Anders, Leliana reached out grasping the edge of the menu from him to snatch it away from his hands so he would no longer be able to hide behind such a small thing. "So don't be rude Anders… Tell me how you know this lady and why you're hiding from her?"

Anders had jumped a little after finding that his menu was taken from him. He looked up at the other woman with wide eyes and then towards Leliana for any possible escape. She gave none. That left Anders, smiling back towards the woman in front of him again. Leliana was right though. He shouldn't have pointed. Such things did tend to cause more harm than good.

"Uh… Of course… I know… her.. she's uh..." Anders's words started to trail off a bit when the name couldn't come to mind. All the same, he was certain that he knew her; and she seemed to know him.

"Anna." She spoke for him with a huge smile and propped her hands against her hips. "From the Circle of Magi in Ferelden…?"

"Anna! Anna. I knew it was 'Anna,' I was just going to say 'Anna.'" Anders quickly beamed, feeling more relaxed suddenly. For all he knew, she could have been another person to hunt him, but since this time his suspicions were most likely wrong, he was able to relax. He looked towards Leliana and gestured slightly while upon introducing her to the proud bride. "Leliana, this is Anna, the last person to see me in Ferelden Circle robes, actually. We graduated our first and second year exams together—er well… in the-"

"In the same class." Anna piped up and reached out to hug his neck. "It's been years, I know but still… I can't believe you don't recognize me!"

"Well you grew out-!" Anders laughed and then paused some, seeing as how the bride leaned back against her heels and folded her arms back at him. The posture itself caused him to fumble slightly. "I mean in. You grew in…. up? You're tall!"

"You're just a foot-in-mouth-fumbles as ever." Anna shook her head some, but her smile was still bright.

"My dear, if you're going to start flaunting yourself around on our wedding day, I'll have to catch up." The man in the black traditional Tevinter robes, walked towards the bride and gently brushed his fingers across her shoulders as his light 'hello,' and proceeded to make his way towards Leliana who sat across from them.

Anna lowered her arms back to her sides some, suddenly seeming to have taken three steps backwards into her personality's shell for a bit when the tall dark-haired groom came near her presence. His rich violet hues seemed to ignite a proverbial fire in nearly anyone he focused on—or so she seemed to believe.

"What's this? A beauty too charming not to have an arm already around her?" The man questioned in surprise and extended his hand caress Leliana's. "Such lovely red hair; you remind me of the roses I grow in my backyard. Although, none of them are quite as beautiful when compared to your silken tresses."

"Yes… well…. This is my HUSBAND—" Anna raised her voice and turned slightly towards the dark-haired male, who seemed to take his time in kissing the back palm of Leliana's hand. "…Alexander Hamilton."

"Heir to multiple known businesses in farming and fishery near here, Sevenith member to the Black Divine, and owner of the Hamilton estate in Minrathous at your service." He announced proudly and straightened his back promptly after his bow to them.

Leliana shifted her posture back upon hearing Anders in the circle. She had an idea he was in circle once, but never found herself to actually ask him. And imagining him in the circle in those robes they had the mages wear, caused a small smile began to appear upon her lips as she glanced to Anders. "I bet you were so adorable in those robes too." She teased all while holding back her laughter. "Well it is nice to meet you Anna." She began to speak out cheerfully as ever. "Here I thought Anders wouldn't know anyone here and I would be bored due to it. Its always nice to meet friends of Anders and get some dirt on him." She began to tease his way.

Sitting there Leliana listened as the duo had chatted back and fourth. Looking ahead, Leliana saw the male from before that stood by Anna's side making his way up to her she sat there in silence not completely sure what to say in return.

She wasn't expecting him to come to her and then say the things he had said. And as quickly as he grasped her hand, she began to slowly slide it out of his grasp. "Heh... Yeah obviously no man..." She paused looking to the ceiling, then back down to the table tracing her finger along the outline of her hand that rested on the table. "Which is okay of course. I don't mind it too much actually."

Looking to Anna, Leliana began to nod her head at the introduction she gave. "Charming. Lucky one you are Anna. Seems like a keeper."

Alexander had been the only one to have seemingly heard Leliana's previous fading remark, and took it as something directed towards himself. His smiling expression had risen a quistive eyebrow, as he pressed his right hand back over his heart.

"I'm sorry." He pouted a little in sincerity. "I meant no harm in my greeting…? But you're right, I should have been the one to introduce myself by name first."

"What is it? What's wrong?" Anna asked and turned slightly towards him.

"It's nothing, my dear. My high spirits only went to my head momentarily." Alexander smiled to her waved his hand a little so that she wouldn't have been concerned for too long.

"Heh… A-as long as don't start reminiscing about the good ol' Circle days, I think we'll all be alright." Anders announced openly and then motioned his hand openly towards the side of the table. "Please, join us. There's so much we need to catch up on, I take it…"

"I… I suppose." Anna hesitated and looked between Leliana and then Anders again. "We wouldn't want to impose on your date—"

"Date! Date? Wh-Who said any—" Anders started to laugh a little nervously and looked away before tapping the table once more. "Pull up a chair. Both of you. I'm curious about this marriage thing."

Before Anna could truly object to the idea, Alexander had already pulled out a chair for her to sit down, and guided her into the seat. "For you, my dear."

Anna quietly conceded and sat down towards Leliana's side, while Alexander later had taken a chair towards Anders's side on the same row to sit down as well.

"So… This is Anders of the Anderfels, I take it…?" Alexander questioned in a marvel, looking from Anders and then a brief glance back to Anna and Leliana once more. His smile carried proudly to the fellow mage. "You, Sir, I hear are quite the hero in the small Circles of Ferelden."

"Well, I don't know about all that." Anders said bashfully and rubbed his neck some.

"Nonsense. The Circle in Ferelden has never held so many meetings before in one trimester." Alexander boasted onward. "Meetings like that help the people there get where they need to be."

"Yes. Without you or the Hero of Ferelden, the Circle's problems may never would have been addressed." Anna said and wrapped her arms around herself. "I remember meeting him at a glance. He was so strong-willed, and adventurous... I don't think he looked my way though. I was injured under the rubble when The Circle was under attack. He spared a few tranquil who in turn healed me."

"I remember of him always being in a rush to fight off any demon or bandit." Anders pondered out loud. "Which was why I tried to hide when he wanted to travel."

Leliana began to wave her hands upon seeing Alexander's reaction to her words. "N-No..." She started only to pause and release a quick breath of air escape her lips. "Its not you... I'm sorry if I seem a bit standoff-ish. I haven't been myself lately." She replied a smile smearing across her lips, as she reached up scratching the back of her nape. Her orbs then traveled to Anders and Anna as she continued to listen to the duo yack it up like good old buddies.

When Anna had mentioned the word date, and Leliana saw Anders reaction and of course this made a brighter smile than before appear across the rouges lips. She shook her head momentarily as she parted her lips. "Not to sound rude. But wouldn't you two would like to spend time with one another. This being your wedding day... Right?" She asked curiously, not minding the company but still she knew how newlyweds had loved to spend every minute with one another after the ceremony. Even though she was curious as well to as how they were wed since Anna was a mage. And the last she remembered mages couldn't get married. At least known to the public.

Leliana began to examine the two as they sat before her and Anders. Resting a head upon her hand she attempted not to be too surprised at the fact they had known the Warden... Lifting her cranium she began to recall the circle, and the horrific events that had happened there. Losing so many innocents. Leliana had nodded her head in Anna's words as she began to sit back in her chair. "I'm sure if he saw you he would have helped you. He was always one to run and help anyone. That's what people admired most about him... I remember that day. It was a narly one. Damn abominations, and demons, and then Uldred..." She averted her hues away from the group for a moment until she heard Anders words of him being one to run into danger. She chuckled at this and nodded her cranium in a response of a yes. "Yup, he almost got us killed a few times. But I would do it all over again if I could. It was a journey I'll never forget."

'You… You traveled with the Hero of Ferelden?" Anna gasped, looking between them and then focused her attention more towards Leliana. "Then that makes you The Leliana! Oh, my goodness! I have been so out of line all this time and didn't even know it. Anders, why didn't you tell me?"

Anders shrugged some; not really understanding the sudden rush in her adrenaline. "I always save the best news for last…?"

"My dear, they may not realize how famous they truly are." Alexander reached out and patted her hand comfortably. He then looked towards Leliana, a bit puzzled. "But it's strange… I mean to find you accompanying an apostate like Anders, here… Weren't there rumors of you being in service to the Chantry?"

"Don't you see?" Anna asked, while her head started to fabricate her own fantasies. "It's a forbidden love!"

Anders quickly paled and waved his hands up nervously. "Uhh-heh… What? Um… That's a bit uh—"

"Apostate and Chantry Initiate bound together by fate!" Anna continued off in her own world.

The slight dramatic pose she gave caused Anders to sweat-drop more. Alexander wrapped his arm around Anna's shoulder and rubbed her forearm closer to him in an attempt to calm her down.

"Darling, let's save the rest of the wine for later." He excused her out loud as to give an explanation for herself. He then looked back towards Leliana and then to Anders once more. "All the same, you both have our highest respects."


End file.
